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The Cabinet has learnt that 84.5 percent of the 84 districts have so far received maize for the targeted beneficiaries under the maize distribution programme.
Chief Government Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, announced that this distribution covered 71 out of the 84 districts, where citizens were already benefiting from the maize allocation.
During a media briefing in Livingstone District, Southern Province, Mweetwa stated that all the remaining districts were expected to receive their relief maize within the next seven days.
He identified the districts that had already received their maize allocationsas: 11 districts in Central Province, seven in Copperbelt Province, 15 in Eastern Province, six in Lusaka Province, four in Northwestern Province, 14 in Southern Province, 13 in Western Province and Lavushimanda District in Muchinga Province.
“Accordingly, the Food Security Drought Response Plan for the period April 2024–May 2025 was developed and approved,” Mweetwa said.
He reiterated that the 84 districts greatly affected by the drought were identified for urgent government attention in terms of immediate food assistance.
Mweetwa explained that the government, along with other stakeholders through the cluster system, had begun responding both in cash and in kind support in all the 84 drought-affected districts.
“Within the relief maize programme, the government has started implementing the Food for Work initiative in these districts,” he stated.
Additionally, Mweetwa mentioned that under the community maize sales, there were currently 300 active selling points out of the targeted 600 depots.
So far, 22,208 metric tonnes of maize have been sold, which translated into 444,175 50kg bags, benefiting over 300,000 households since the government began responding to the disaster, according to him.
“In terms of support from partners, a total of K30,588,430 has been received in the form of logistical support and donations of food items and other supplies,” Mweetwa said.
He highlighted that the government had continued with the mopping up of maize, purchasing 1,132.30 metric tons from Muchinga and Northern Provinces.
Furthermore, Mweetwa stated that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had received a total of 14,826.63 metric tonnes of early maize to increase the maize stocks.
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