By 
Several hectares of Maize fields in Gwembe District of Southern Province have been severely affected due to the dry spells that have hit the area.
Speaking after inspecting some maize fields on Monday, Gwembe Member of Parliament Tyson Simuzingili said the development was worrisome because it had threatened food security in the area.
Simuzingili was concerned that most Maize fields have dried up following a long dry spell which the district had been experiencing for more than three weeks now.
“This year’s rain season started very well. The District received a fair amount of rains from January to February, and our crops were coming up so well,”
“We were actually assured of a better yield this year until this drought befell us at a time our maize started tussling. This has left a very damage,” He said.
Simuzingili has since appealed to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to urgently carry out an assessment to ascertain the extent of damage and ensure that mitigation measures are in place.
” last year we were hit by both the floods and drought but it wasn’t as bad as this one. People were able to harvest something. But with this one, am worried with what am seeing. People might not even manage to get anything,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of other village Headmen, Headman Chifumpu urged Government to urgently provide relief food for the people whose crops have been affected.
” Honorable MP, we are worried with these droughts. The rains started so well but everything has changed. All our maize have now dried up and we are likely to experience a serious famine.”
” We just want through you, to ask government to help us with relief food,” he said.
Contributed by Augustine Sichula
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