Three districts in Kilimanjaro region may suffer food shortage this year due to unreliable and unpredictable
weather patterns.
A statement from the Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner, Mr Leonidas
Gama presented before President Jakaya Kikwete who was on a three-day tour of
the region last week, indicated that Same, Mwanga and Rombo districts are
facing food shortage caused by unreliable rains.
So far, according to the RC, the government had taken various measures
to overcome the situation.
In the third and fourth quarter of 2011 the region received a total of
7,876.8 tons of grain including 6,369 tons of relief maize sold at 50/- per
kilogramme.
Mr Gama told the president that a total of 707.8 tons of relief food
were provided free of charge to people who could not afford to pay for it,
while the total cost of distributing the consignment of grain reached 349.9m/-.
Other players also came to the districts rescue including the Tanzania
Red Cross Society (TRCS) which sent in an addition 125 tons of maize and 38
tons of beans to the affected areas.
The Kilimanjaro RC pointed out that, the region, which is one of the
country’s bread baskets suffered food shortage because the drought spell has
been affecting the region for more than three years now, thus even the food
stored by farmers were totally exhausted.
He blamed effects of climate change, saying they contributed to poor
rainfall in the area leading to famine. Mr Gama said already there have been
efforts to encourage farmers in the districts to plant drought-resistant crops
such as sorghum.
The RC said plans for the forthcoming long-rains’ season (April-June)
was to cultivate 433,440 hectares, which were expected to produce 2,073,550
tons of various crops.
Commenting on agricultural
input vouchers, he said the region had received 222,867 vouchers which would be
enough for 222,867 acres and they had already been distributed to the farmers.
He said the number of tourists in the region had increased from 28,417
in 2003/2004 to 52,570 in 2010/2011 with revenue obtained from tourists
increasing from 10.5bn/- to 45.604bn/-.
Source: The Daily News,www.dailynews.co.tz
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