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has directed the Grain Marketing Board to urgently start moving grain to affected areas.
Masvingo, parts of Manicaland, Midlands and the Matabeleland provinces have been cited as the worst affected.
Government, however, has not yet finished a crop assessment programme to determine the full impact of the drought.
In an interview last week, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made confirmed Cabinet’s directive for the GMB to immediately move grain to the affected provinces.
The grain would be distributed at ward level.
“The directive was given by Cabinet two weeks ago. The GMB should move grain to all the districts and wards for the people to buy grain.
“The GMB is holding onto 270 000 metric tonnes and we have food to start helping our people. GMB must move with speed and without giving any excuses.”
He said it would not make sense for people to suffer when GMB was holding onto the grain.
GMB would be selling a 50kg bag of grain at US$16.
Efforts to get a comment from the GMB were fruitless with the parastatal’s general manager Mr Albert Mandizha said to be out of office.
However, The Herald is reliably informed that the GMB told Government that it has no money to transport grain to the affected areas.
The parastatal reportedly owes transporters over US$700 000 and requires US$300 000 monthly to move the grain.
However, Minister Made said he would not entertain any excuses from GMB.
“They (GMB) have the resources and the money to do the exercise. We do not want any excuses when people are starving.
“It is very unfair. If they continue to be insensitive like that then the chairman of the board should take action. I do not accept that,” he added.
He underscored the need for the resuscitation of small holder irrigation schemes to avert the effects of droughts.
According to the first crop assessment carried out by end of January over two million hectares of maize had been planted compared to 1,8 million last season.
Zimbabwe received normal to above normal rains at the beginning of the farming season, but crops in some areas have already been declared a write off as a result of the persistent dry spell experienced between February and March.
Zimbabwe was expecting 1,7 million tonnes from the 2010/11 farming season had the conditions remained conducive for high yields.
Poor rains and illegal Western sanctions have over the years negatively affected efforts by Zimbabwe to resuscitate the agriculture sector – the backbone of the economy.