TREASURY is set to disburse ZiG190 million every month for the next nine months to cater for cash transfers to food insecure households across the country's urban areas.
The Urban Cash for Cereal programme is being rolled out as a social protection measure for vulnerable populations in urban areas, along with the Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy, which is targeting to distribute grain to food insecure families in rural areas.
According to the 2024 Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment, at least 1,7 million people in urban areas are in need of food aid, while another 6 million in rural areas have been left vulnerable to hunger by the El-Nino-induced drought.
Speaking during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, July Moyo, said Government had completed the disaggregation of the urban population in need of assistance and was now implementing the community-based assessment to determine the number of people who will receive the cash transfers.
"We have gone to every ward to say using the community based assessment, how many people and which households are we going to target, and we have given them parameters to prioritise people with disability, child-headed families and those in old age," he said.
"We also have families that have been out of work for a long time and have no other means for sustenance.
"Once that is finalised, we have requested the Ministry of Finance to allocate ZiG190 million each month, from now up to end of March (next year), so that we can give this cash assistance to the families."
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Minister Moyo said the amount to be received by each beneficiary would depend on the cost of 7,5kg of mealie meal, in line with what the rural beneficiaries are receiving.
In rural areas, Government is targeting to distribute food to over 6 million people in vulnerable households.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said there had been a significant improvement in the distribution of grain throughout the country from the previous week.
"As at June 22, 2024, a total of 46 494,52 tonnes of grain had been distributed, with beneficiaries receiving three months' allocation.
"The distribution of grain for the vulnerable and food insecure people by province since the beginning of the blitz in May 2024 is as follows: Manicaland, 6 894,64 tonnes, Mashonaland Central, 5 524,25 tonnes, Mashonaland East, 4 935,55 tonnes, Mashonaland West, 5 719,83 tonnes, Masvingo, 9 149,49 tonnes, Matabeleland North, 2 827,50 tonnes, Matabeleland South, 4 542,27 tonnes and Midlands, 6 926,81 tonnes," he said.
Regarding the Zunde RaMambo/Isiphala Senkosi programme, Dr Muswere said 2 588,29 tonnes had been collected to date across all provinces.
He reiterated that cash transfers for urban households would commence in the near future.
