Victor Maphosa Mashonaland East Correspondent—

Government has promised to provide food to the villagers in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe District who failed to get meaningful yields in the last season due to poor rains.

Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri (pictured above) told thousands of people at a rally held at Nhakiwa Business Centre in Uzumba over the weekend that Government was committed to ensuring that every citizen had enough food.

“Zimbabwe under President ED Mnangagwa has an effective formula to end hunger and starvation under the successful Command Agriculture Programme.

“Your leaders told me that most areas here received poor rains, which affected your produce and you are now facing hunger, but let me assure you that your Government will never allow you to starve. It has enough food to feed you,” he said.

Minister Shiri instructed Social Welfare workers and councillors to urgently make a list of affected families for them to receive food aid.

“The issue of hunger is not an issue from my point of view, the issue here is you are delaying in telling the Government that you are hungry. Social Welfare workers and councillors, make sure you compile a list of everyone in need of food as soon as possible so that they receive food.

“This is the last time that we want to hear you saying you are starving.”

He said there was enough grain at the Grain Marketing Board depots grown by local farmers to feed those in                            need.

Minister Shiri assured villagers that they would also benefit from the land reform programme for them to be self-sustainable.

“I also heard that some of you need land for farming, and I told your leaders here that this is my department, so we will work together with the provincial minister and identify farms which are big enough to be downsized.

“We will allocate land from the downsized farms to some of you so that you can sustain yourselves,” he said.