Maseru- the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) has stated that the government is facing M2billion shortfall to feed it’s population. The government initial budget was 3.7billion to fight the “unprecedented hunger crisis” but the government has only managed to raise M1.7 billion.
This, the Disaster Management Authority, Chief Executive Officer Reatile Elias expressed at the press conference held at DMA offices on Wednesday.
According to the Integrated Food Insecurity Phase Classification, it reports that 700,000 people which equates to 33.2 of the population are facing hunger and starvation. 293,000 people in rural areas are in crisis phase (IPC+3) from May -September 2024 likely to increase to 403,000 people from October 2024 to March 2025 while in urban areas 296.045people are food insecure.
He informed that the current food and nutrition insecurity is primarily driven by dry spells and drought. Additionally crop pests and livestock diseases have further worsened the situation exacerbating the challenges to food and nutrition security.
“As the result of El Nino induced droughts in 2023/2024 agricultural season, the area planted recorded a decrease of 32% as compared to the 2022/2023 agricultural season leading to the Lowest yields since 2018/2019,” he stressed
Further articulated that socio economic shocks including job losses , reduced opportunities in on-farm and casual labor, price hikes, and high inflation have significantly reduced households total income and further weakened the already fragile households purchasing power.
Elias furthered that the national maize (stample food) production decreased by 52% in 2024 compared to the 2023 production, fueling the cost of living with the minimum expenditure basket increasing to 3,3897.89 per household of four people in 2024 compared to 2,600 in 2023
He mentioned that already DMA is supporting local farmers with local grain purchase “Beans and Grain” , however there is also a need to timely provide the community with agricultural inputs subsidies with suitable crop varieties to built resilience.
Additionally, to Intensify integrated catchment management to improve rangelands and protect water sources along with conducting vaccination campaigns to prevent seasonal livestock diseases and most importantly operationalizing the National Strategic Resilience Framework to diversify livelihoods and built resilience against future shocks is significant.
He indicated that the government has already appealed to international partners to intervene, adding that 40% of the funds is needed for humanitarian assistance, 40% for resilience and 20% for developmental Programmes.
“The first batch of the funds will enhance agricultural and food security, the second batch social protection and safety nets where disabled persons and vulnerable Basotho will benefit and the last batch will address issues of water sanitation and Hygiene and Health.,” he directed
He said budget for each area is: food insecurity 256.9 million, social protection 1.3 million , water and sanitation 173.7 million while in health area is 85.8 million. Adding that to fulfill the four areas DMA has advised the government to establish three (3) departments namely Logistics, Communications , Monitoring and Evaluation.
“The logistics department need 94.1, communication 94.1 while monitoring and evaluation department needs 360,000 while 1.7 million is already used for Agriculture,” he said
He voiced that there is a program dubbed “tsoha o iketsetse” which Basotho works to in their respective communities to improve infrastructure and they earn M500 after every two weeks for a period of six months. Adding that the beneficiaries are now eighteen thousand and the government has spend over 7 million on the project.
He praised that the project is very impactful as some Basotho have started small businesses, it has help in cash circulation and gives a person freedom to buy whatever they want unlike food subsidies. Further concluding that there are other GOL projects such as Youth Apprenticeship that provides jobs for youth country wide.
