Relief food begins to reach drought-hit areas

Relief food has been sent to 35 drought-affected districts in central, northern and northeastern Tanzania, government officials said on Tuesday. "As of Friday, 9,039 tonnes of maize had been distributed to the affected areas," said Lucas Siyame, a deputy minister in the prime minister's office who is responsible for disasters and HIV/AIDS. "Another 11,499 tonnes was also being sent to the affected areas." In a statement, Siyame said maize - the country's staple food - would be sold at the subsidised price of 50 Tanzanian shillings (about US $0.04) per kilogramme. He added that relief food was being distributed in accordance with a May-August 2005 situation assessment by the government and various other agencies, which showed that at least 594,503 people faced food shortages. In early January, President Jakaya Kikwete announced that some 613,000 people in the country would need 21,500 tonnes of relief food between now and the end of February. There are fears, however, that many more people might need relief food by the end of February, as reports of severe shortages trickle in. Last week the government authorised a three-month tax exemption for the importation of maize. The measure was designed to "encourage the business community to import more food in the face of anticipated food shortage," according to Peniel Lyimo, the permanent secretary in Tanzania's Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives. "The move aims at boosting maize supply and thus keeping its prices low," he added, noting that ports and other entry points had been instructed to prioritise the clearance of imported food consignments. Lyimo urged traders in possession of food stocks to release them into the market and condemned hoarding by some traders, who are reportedly waiting for prices to go up in order to make higher profits. The country's food shortages are largely blamed on the failure of the short rains, which normally fall between late October and December. The growing cycle following these rains accounts for 30 percent of the country's annual food harvest. The long rains are expected between mid-March and May. Last week, Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa visited the northern region of Shinyanga, one of the areas facing serious shortages, to witness the situation on the ground following reports that the elderly and children were likely to die of starvation. While addressing residents of Meatu district in the region, Lowassa said the government would continue sending relief food to hard-hit areas. The food would be sold at subsidised prices or, for those who could not afford it, on a food-for-work basis.