Government through the District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) in Mwinilunga district has begun the distribution of relief maize.
District Commissioner Harrison Kamuna who is also District Disaster Management Committee Chairperson, said the distribution of the 4,600 by 50 Kg bags of white maize as part of the relief response to the drought and hunger situation in the country.
Mr Kamuna noted that the relief maize will be distributed in all the 21 wards by World Vision Zambia who were picked through a prescribed selection process.
Speaking during a DDMC meeting, Mr Kamuna said each ward has been allocated a number of bags out of which 20 percent will be distributed to vulnerable groups such as the aged and disabled while 80 percent will be distributed through the food for work approach.
He said the government has also through the Zambia National Service (ZNS) released 30, 000 by 50 Kg bags of white maize for local production of mealie meal being sold at K230 per 25 Kg breakfast and K190 per 25 Kg roller meal.
“Government is using various approaches to address the disaster situation, including the offloading of 30,000 by 50 Kg bags of maize to a local miller Chisaka milling who is producing affordable mealie meal being sold at government price” he said.
Mr Kamuna added that through the departments of community development and social welfare the government has conducted a vulnerability assessment which will be used to ascertain beneficiaries of additional relief responses.
He said identified vulnerable but viable households will receive farming inputs for production of winter maize while affected households with vulnerable people like the disabled and the aged will receive emergency cash transfers to avert the drought and hunger situation in the district.
The District Commissioner has however warned against any nepotism, abuse and corrupt practices in the distribution of the relief maize saying anybody found wanting will not go unpunished.
And district DMMU coordinator representative Harzene Chimfumpa called on stakeholders in the wards to do a good job in identifying the right beneficiaries and projects to be done under the food for work method.
“If you do a good job in identifying the right people and submit the projects to be done in good time, it will help in avoiding time wastage and misunderstandings in the distribution of the relief food” he said.
Mr Chimfumpa explained that identified beneficiaries should not be those already benefiting from other relief programs by the government such as social cash transfer, FISP and should not be civil servants.
