Government abandons Maguta
The Standard Sunday, 30 May 2010 06:37
BULAWAYO — Government has abandoned Operation Maguta/Inala as it moves ahead to implement short-to-long-term drought mitigation strategies following crop assessments by three ministries revealing that over 205 000 households face starvation this year.
President Robert Mugabe in 2005 launched the command agriculture under the military arguing that the move was aimed at ensuring food security and a surplus for export.
The operation failed to end food shortages in the country with analysts saying the targets were missed primarily due to lack of inputs and poor planning on the part of government.
The operation was also riddled with corruption and several MPs implicated in the scam have been hauled before the courts.
However, several MDC-T MPs have been acquitted after the co
urts found that only Zanu PF legislators were properly briefed about conditions for accessing inputs.Zanu PF MPs are yet to stand trial.
Sources say recent crop assessments by the Prime Minister’s office, Agriculture Ministry and the Labour and Social Welfare Ministry were unanimous that Operation Maguta was a monumental failure.
Gorden Moyo, the Minister of State in the PM’s office, on Thursday confirmed that the operation had been scrapped.
“Operation Maguta/Inala is not part of the drought mitigation measures for the short-to-long term,” Moyo said in an interview on Thursday.
Moyo said crop assessments by government ministries reveal that over 205 000 households in Matabeleland South, Midlands, Manicaland, Masvingo are faced with hunger owing to poor harvests.
“Government is going to move grain from areas of food surplus to areas of deficit,” he said.
“We will also work with donors to provide food for the needy areas and also implement public works programmes where villagers work for food.
“On a long-term basis, government is putting in place irrigation schemes in drought-prone areas. . .we would want to ensure that people do not starve.”
During Operation Maguta irrigation schemes were under the control of the army.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) assessment report released recently urged the government to start emergency food relief programmes to areas worst affected by crop failure to mitigate any food deficits.
The Finance ministry has already released US$3,5 million to the Grain Marketing Board in an attempt to buy grain and set aside over 500 000 metric tonnes strategic grain reserves to be availed to communities needing emergency food aid.
Another round of food shortages is a big blow to the inclusive government formed last year that was hoping to put an end to the perennial food shortages that began at the turn of the millennium.
President Mugabe has blamed unkind weather conditions and drought for the resultant food shortages that have seen the country rely on international food aid efforts.
Experts however say despite drought, the new farmers who benefited from the land reform scheme in 2000 lack the requisite farming skills, which has seen them failing to produce enough to feed the nation. BY NQOBANI NDLOVU