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Over 100,000 Tanzanians need food aid after drought: minister

Xinhua, February 1, 2017 Adjust font size:

More than 100,000 Tanzanians are in need of food aid after prolonged drought hit the east African nation, the minister of agriculture said on Tuesday.

Charles Tizeba, Tanzania's Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries said that delay and inadequacy of rains in many parts of the country has affected production and forecast show that the country faces a shortage of food.

Briefing on Tanzania's food and nutrition situation for 2016/2017, in capital Dodoma, the minister said inadequate and uneven rainfall will also negatively impact production and availability of seeds, noting that the situation will lead to the high price of food in the east African nation.

According to the minister, about 118,603 people have no food at all that will need 3,549 tonnes of emergency food.

He also said that the government's assessment has identified 1,186,028 people with a shortage of food in 55 district councils across Tanzania.

"We, therefore, need 35,491 tonnes of food to counter the foreseen shortage from February to April this year."

Tizeba said in the councils with the shortage, the government has already responded with the sale of food from its reserve at the normal process in a bid to contain price from going through the roof.

The step is meant to shield low-income families from hunger if the price inhibits their purchasing power.

People especially the poor who cannot afford high-priced food are not only the victims, the minister said, adding the government was also a big loser in the rain situation and consequent sorry harvest will have an impact in its coffers.

A substantial amount of cash collected in levies by municipal authorities and from traders who export cereals outside the country will be lost this year, he said.

To be expected this year, due to the situation, are increased levels of malnutrition and conflict between farmers and pastoralists over grazing and water resources.

To contain the situation, the minister said the government's assessment found that 55 district councils need 1,969 tonnes of drought-resistance, short-term seeds that do not take long to harvest including maize, millet, and tubers.

"The seeds should reach the identified councils within February this year so that they are planted as soon as it rains," he said.

In the Tanzanian government's broader plan to avert hunger, the focus will be the distribution of drought-resistance, short-term seeds of millet, sorghum, cassava and sweet potatoes, Tizeba told the house.

The country's food situation assessment was completed in January this year and was conducted by the government in collaboration with other food and nutrition stakeholders. Endit