Over two million people will require relief intervention up to next harvest

Minister in the Office of the Vice President Olipa Phiri says over 2 million people representing 388,364 households in 58 districts will require relief interventions for them to survive up to the next harvest season.

Speaking when she gave a ministerial statement to parliament on the hunger situation in the country, Mrs. Phiri says the households will require 164, 775 metric tons of cereal and 49, 433 metric tons of pulses.

She says her office has so far distributed 2,033,920 by 12.5kg bags of mealie meal in the 58 districts which were assessed by the Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee and an additional 13 districts which were not captured in the assessment.

Ms Phiri has reiterated that government cannot declare the hunger situation in some parts of the country a national disaster because it is able to manage the situation.