How hungry is Mozambique?

Celso Correia’s claim, that 90% of Mozambicans eat three meals a day, strikes many as complacent

Good afternoon. Mozambicans are outraged today at the claim by agriculture minister Celso Correia that 90% of them eat three meals per day — a claim which is being described as completely out of touch with the reality of the Mozambican experience.

The claim, made on a visit to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, seems to be related to a comment made last year by the FAO’s representative in Mozambique, that Mozambique had come off a list of countries facing severe food insecurity.

Zitamar followed up with the FAO representative, Hernani da Silva, last October, who clarified that what he was saying was that Mozambique is no longer on the World Food Programme’s list of countries at high risk of food insecurity. No one in Mozambique, he said, is in a situation of “catastrophe”.

But not facing catastrophe is not the same as having three meals a day. It is Correia’s responsibility, more than anyone else’s, to ensure that the goal of zero hunger in Mozambique is achieved. But, as far too many Mozambicans can testify from personal experience, the country is not there yet.

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Agenda:

• Today: Second of the three-day visit of the minister of defence, Cristóvão Chume, to the Republic of the United Arab Emirates.

• Today: President Nyusi visits Zambezia province

https://bit.ly/3XCDCOb

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The latest from Zitamar News:

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💥 Conflict updates:

1 March 2023: Ncoripo, Meluco district, Cabo Delgado
Insurgents kidnapped several people in the village of Ncoripo, just 5km from Meluco district headquarters. It is not yet known exactly how many were captured. 

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Also in the news:

• 90% of Mozambicans have three meals a day, says agriculture minister 

• Dugongo to build a cement plant in Nacala 

• EDM suffers losses of MZN50m due to bad weather 

• Nyusi to travel to the US to debate terrorism 

• Insurance head calls for micro-insurance for informal sector