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Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, has presented a K41.9 billion revised budget to Parliament for approval which has been necessitated by the current drought situation.
Among the notable proposed expenditure included K8.3 billion or 19.8 percent of the revised budget to be dedicated to facilitating government drought response interventions in an effort to provide life-saving and early recovery assistance to the millions of Zambians affected by this disaster.
Of this amount, K5.2 billion had been allocated to the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services for the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP).
This allocation to the SCTP would facilitate for a top-up of K200 to all the 1.3 million households already enrolled in the existing Social Cash Transfer Programme.
“This top-up of K200 will ensure that recipients under the existing Social Cash Transfer programme receive a total amount of K400 per month.
“It is aimed at alleviating the impact of high food prices among our vulnerable population during the drought response period, and is therefore expected to run up to June 2025, in line with the drought response plan,” Musokotwane said.
Further, an additional 1.2 million households who had been severely affected by the effects of the drought but were not on the existing SCTP, were also expected to be supported under the newly developed Emergency Cash Transfer programme.
These would receive assistance from government of K400 on a monthly basis, up to June 2025. “By extending the SCTP as just explained the total number of beneficiaries under the Cash Transfer programme now comes to 2.5 million households from the original 1.3 million households,” the Minister said.
Musokotwane noted that government recognised that the effects of the drought have impacted more than the 2.5 million households that government was able to assist through the Cash Transfer programmes.
Read more: Govt extends emergency cash transfer to aid drought affected districts
He explained that these were the households that were generally considered to be vulnerable due to old age, disability and other factors.
“However, the severe drought of 2024 has brought hunger even to the able bodied since they lost most of their crops. These citizens are not on either of the Cash Transfer programmes.
“To assist this category of affected but viable population, the Government has proposed to implement a Work Programme for which an initial amount of K2.0 billion has been allocated,” he said.
“This amount is expected to be increased up to K3.8 billion in 2024 alone after financing procedures and processes are finalised with some of our cooperating partners.
“However, we are fully aware that the local farmers are not able to meet the total demand for maize.
“I therefore wish to inform this august House that modalities are currently being finalised to facilitate the importation of maize by the private sector and the Food Reserve Agency.
“The locally produced maize plus the maize to be imported shall be enough to meet the country’s requirements,” Musokotwane said.
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