WITH the danger posed to food security by the El Nino-induced drought, measures to prevent possible death from hunger are already in place. 

Because of the drought, most traditional grains are now a complete write-off. 

The expected meagre harvest of about 700 000 tonnes falls far short of our 1,8-million-tonne annual requirements. 

This chasm has to be filled at all costs. 

A welcome gesture by the Government is the introduction of duty-free importation of grains like maize and rice by the private sector. 

The duty waiver also applies to potato seed and cooking oil, which will come as a huge relief to consumers already burdened by a soaring cost of living. 

The purchase of grain at the import parity price of US$390 per tonne will ensure the mopping up of excess local grain to make it affordable to the general public. 

At such a good price, farmers will be less inclined to hoard their produce, thereby reducing the need for more grain imports in future. 

Meanwhile, the Grain Millers’ Association (GMA) has assured the nation that it has been promised more than a million tonnes of grain from friendly countries, notably Brazil, Russia and South Africa, among others. 

But while all this might come as sweet music to those with deep pockets, there are thousands, if not millions, who fall into the vulnerable category . 

Here, we are referring to those who have been enjoying the the fruits of the celebrated Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme in recent years. 

But, as things stand, we are assured from the highest offices, that there will be no food shortages. 

At the time of writing, there were reports that distribution from the GMB’s Grain Strategic Reserve had already started. 

It is the guarantee that all those in need of food will get it which is crucial. 

We have heard in the past of cases of unfair distribution of food handouts by some unscrupulous characters. 

This must not be allowed this time around, especially after President Mnangagwa’s repeated assurances that no one will die of hunger. 

Traditional systems in the rural areas, where the village head lives among his people, make accountability easy. 

For, when this food is distributed, it is the needy who must be at the top of the beneficiaries. 

Thus, the assessment of individual situations, including family size, must be meticulous. 

There are cases of a greedy few, who might have salvaged something from their Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme efforts and might still want to jump the queue ahead of the genuinely hungry. 

The principle: ‘From each according to his ability and to each according to his need’ must, therefore, be rigorously enforced. 

Because of the villagers’ communal way of living, it is easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

It is unfortunate that we can never rule out corruption and favouritism where food distribution is involved. 

This is because there are those, who, when given the responsibility to distribute, resort to bribery or embezzlement for selfish gain. 

All those caught on the wrong side of the law must be made to carry their crosses. 

We must never forget, even for a second, the thrust of the Second Republic which is to ‘leave no-one and no place behind’. 

For that reason, food relief measures are not limited to rural areas only, but will also be extended to the urban and peri-urban areas. 

Skills Audit and Development Minister Professor Paul Mavima recently assured Parliamentarians that assessment needs of those in urban areas vis-a-vis the drought situation had already been identified and documented. 

The debilitating effects of the El Nino drought should be a timely reminder to the nation of the need to fast-track the establishment of irrigation systems on our farms, right down to the village level.