Promote growing of small grains, govt urged

BULAWAYO Metropolitan Senator Tholakele Khumalo (MDC) has urged government to promote small grains and disseminate information on nutrition in order to achieve 30% reduction of stunting by 2020.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Khumalo said this on Wednesday while introducing a motion in the Senate on food security and nutrition challenges being faced by the country.

“Zimbabwe signed an agreement that by 2020 stunting will be reduced by 30% compared to the 2015 levels,” Khumalo said.

“We can only do this when we are given the information by the different ministries which are responsible for nutrition like the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Economic Development, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, and Agriculture.”

Khumalo said emphasis should be put on growing of small grains and to introduce them in children’s diet at an early age to avoid stunting.

“Our traditional parents were better in teaching people about healthy eating than what government is currently doing,” she said.

According to nutritional information on Zimbabwe based on the 2010 Zimbabwe National Nutrition Survey, 35% of rural children aged six to 59 months are stunted.

A 2014 survey by the Women’s University in Africa also indicated 33% stunting of children in rural areas and 27% stunted growth in urban areas, giving a national average of stunting at 30%.

“This is not acceptable and MPs must disseminate information to combat stunting in their constituencies. Children must also be fed at schools,” Khumalo said.

Khumalo’s motion, if adopted, seeks to call on government to provide adequate information to community leaders, including MPs, on how to reduce the incidence of malnutrition among children and adults in the country.

Harare Metropolitan Senator James Makore, who seconded the motion, said a small grains policy was there in Zimbabwe but what was not being done was to encourage people to grow them for nutritional purposes.

“People must be encouraged to change the practice of growing maize only, so that they also include small grains such as beans, rapoko, sorghum and others to promote nutrition,” Makore said.