Over 500 Families Receive Sugar Beans, Maize Seed

from All Africa

The Herald (Harare)

MORE than 500 disadvantaged families from Tafara in Harare yesterday received four tonnes of sugar beans and maize seed worth over $12 billion from a Goromonzi farmer.

Speaking at the handover ceremony yesterday, Mr Noah Mangondo, who is the Harare province Zanu-PF deputy secretary for lands, said the donation was meant to promote food production both at household and national level.

"We chose Tafara suburb specifically because it is one of the locations that borders some farming areas earmarked for peri-urban farming.

"We want the residents to use their pieces of land productively," Mr Mangondo said.

The residents were given three tonnes of sugar beans and one tonne of maize seed to plant. Mr Mangondo said he was committed to alleviating the challenges currently being faced by Tafara residents.

By economically empowering the ordinary people in the urban areas, he said, the country would have moved a step further in addressing one of the Millennium Development Goals -- that of alleviating poverty.

Some residents who benefited from the donation applauded Mr Mangondo's efforts saying that this would enable them to improve their household food security.

"We are very grateful for this donation from Mr Mangondo as this is going to help us achieve our agricultural plans for this farming season," said Mr Elias Magure.

He challenged other successful farmers to extend their hand to other urban households to mitigate the shortages of food.