We have enough food, PM reassures

The government comes out to reassure the public amid fear of hunger in drought ravaged areas

What you need to know:

  • A survey has been ordered in 55 affected councils to establish extent of the effects of drought and plan mitigation measures in an event of a food shortage crisis. Political leaders have piled pressure on authorities to declare an emergency while clergy led their faithful to pray for rain over the weekend.
  • GOV'T TAKE: The ministry of Agriculture’s acting assistant director, Crop Monitoring and Early Warning, Ms Marystella Mtalo, was quoted by the Daily News as affirming that the country had a surplus of 3 million tonnes of food. She said the pockets currently experiencing shortages was normal and not exceptional. She, however, admitted that the number of local councils facing food deficit has increased from 43 to 53 after the earthquake that hit Kagera Region last year.

Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa yesterday said the country is not facing  a famine threat and reassured the public that there was enough food despite reported drought in some places.

The PM said there was no need to panic over the drought situation, adding that reports of famine was a creation of businessmen wanting to profiteer from higher food prices.   

“I plead with you not to worry over the food situation in the country. Don’t listen to the noise coming from various people and reports in the media because what is being said is not true,” Mr Majaliwa said in Dar es Salaam.  He was addressing reporters at the Julius Nyerere International Airport shortly after inaugurating scheduled flights to the capital, Dodoma, by the revamped Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).   

Mr Majaliwa reiterated President John Magufuli’s earlier position that only the government has the prerogative to declare a famine and issue related information.

The Premier said: “There is enough food stock despite rains failing in parts of the country. The government would like to reassure that food security is guaranteed.”  

Mr Majaliwa was responding to growing calls by a cross section of religious and political leaders to government to immediately take action to forestall a food crisis following a prolonged drought spell.

Alarm has been sounded in recent weeks as livestock in pastoralist areas begun to die for lack of pasture while some leaders reported that families in their areas were going without enough food.

The clergy have also led in the call to take action, with the Catholic Church and the Muslim Council of Tanzania (Bakwata) issuing statements to faithful to pray so that it rains to tame the drought. The Catholic Church issued a pastoral letter asking its bishops to mobilise for vigils, prayers and fasting over the threat.

Several bishops’ summons at the weekend were centered on the drought and hunger threats. The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), Bishop Dr Frederick Shoo, said on Sunday that hunger was real and was stalking mainly the northern parts of the country where food shortages have been reported.

“Hunger is a threat in northern regions and there are families we know that do not have food and we are giving out relief,” he said, adding that crop failure rather than laziness was to blame for their predicament. He urged the government to quickly survey affected areas and plan to provide relief as necessary. 

Yesterday, Mr Majaliwa and the minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries, Dr Charles Tizeba, in their separate addresses assured the government was keen on ensuring that effects of drought were well mitigated. Dr Tizeba issued a statement to clarify that there was enough food stock in the country arising from a surplus production last season. The minister noted that the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA)has over 62 per cent of the target cereals for this year. He said over 90,000 tonnes as reserve was ready for use to stabilise market prices.

According to Dr Tizeba, the ministry in collaboration with the office of the Prime Minister, FAO and other players, were already carrying out a survey in the drought-hit areas to determine the extent of the problem and what mitigation measures to prescribe.  “The survey will be done in 55 Councils and results are expected on January 28,” said the minister.

Dr Tizeba said the government was also following up on the pricing of major cereals such as maize, rice and beans.

He said a survey in 13 main markets across the country confirmed steady supply except for a rise in the price of maize across the board.

Rice and beans were selling for lower prices in some areas, he said. Lindi Region was shown as the region with the highest of the prices for all the cereals.

“The rise and fall of these prices is a normal phenomenon in between the seasons and because the ending season was poor, the government is releasing food stocks to stabilise the prices,” he said, urging traders to move food to areas facing a shortage.  

Earlier, Mr Majaliwa in backing the government’s position noted that in 2016 Tanzania had in excess of 3 million tonnes of food, forcing Parliament and businesspeople to seek permission to export the excess.

The PM noted that 1.5 million tonnes was allowed to be exported, meaning the balance reserve was being held by private sector.

The PM said there was hope as rains have started falling in some parts and appealed to farmers to use the window to plant crops that mature fast and are resistant to drought.

He said if the situation deteriorated, the government will announce measures on food supply. He also blamed a rise in prices of some of the cereals to shortage of food in a neighbouring country.