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CURRENT RAINS TO CONTRIBUTE TO NATIONAL FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY – NFNC

THE National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) says the current rains the country has experienced in the last few days will contribute to the national food and nutrition security at household level.

In an exclusive interview with ZANIS in Lusaka, NFNC Deputy Executive Director, Mathews Mhuru, noted that with the rainy season, seasonal foods become plentiful which will help families to add to their nutritional diet at household level.

Mr Mhuru said the Commission is cognizant that the rains delayed in the country, adding that families are encouraged to consider planting crops that require less rain in order to enhance food diversity, thereby cushioning the drought challenge that the country has been facing.

He has since encouraged families to desist from food wastage which is usually rampant in the rainy season where plenty of fruits and other foods that come with the season are usually wasted.

He advised families to preserve as much seasonal food as possible in order to sustain nutritional intake.

Mr Mhuru has further urged families to utilise simple food preservation methods that are applicable in different parts of the country such as sun drying of foods that can sustain their families.

“If families can take advantage of this and preserve as much food as they can, that would keep them going throughout the year,” he noted.

Mr Mhuru also urged members of the public to ensure that they take hygiene practices into consideration to avoid exposing their families to diseases that come with the rainy season such as cholera.

“When it comes to drinking water, we highly recommend that families take necessary measures such as water purification practices like boiling or treating their drinking water,” he noted.

Mr Mhuru said taking these measures would ensure that families are protected from diseases, especially children under the age of two.