The World Food Programme (WFP) fed almost 830.000 Zambians last month, even though the country produced surplus food this year, reports IRIN.
After its recent harvest boom Zambia is expected to export an estimated 120.000 metric tons of maize. But despite the good harvest overall, pockets of food insecurity remain, particularly in the western region where farmers lost crops with the flooding of the Zambezi river at the beginning of the year.
WFP regional spokesman Mike Huggins on Wednesday noted that about 542.000 beneficiaries had received food aid in the agencys current emergency operations. WFP distributed assistance to more than 100.000 refugees last month, while 170.000 people in development projects were helped.
– Most of Zambias surplus has been generated by commercial farms, who will want to sell it to the highest bidder, so just because a country produces a surplus does not necessarily mean that vulnerable groups will be able to buy that food, or that the government is in a position to be able to procure it for national feeding programmes. Therefore, there is clearly still a significant role for humanitarian agencies like WFP to play in ensuring everyone who needs food is able to access it, he told IRIN.
Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are set to receive Zambian maize as the country cements its agricultural recovery.
In 2002 a failed harvest left an estimated 2.3 million in need of food aid.
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
