South Africa: Govt working to ensure food security
Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System
Date: 21 Sep 2012
Title: Govt working to ensure food security
Pretoria - The drought in the US is of concern and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Food Security is to look at expanding measures to ensure that those who are badly affected by high food prices are able to feed themselves.
Briefing reporters following Cabinet's fortnightly meeting, acting Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams said Cabinet noted a briefing on food prices and approved that the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Food Security urgently discuss proposals on how to proceed and to submit immediate, medium and long term policy proposals.
"This will amongst other things consider reviewing the Integrated Food Strategy in relation to price fluctuations and the threat of food shortages," said Williams.
Member of the IMC and chief executive officer of the National Agricultural Marketing Council Ronald Ramabulana said that there were a number of measures being implemented and that they would be looking at expanding these measures.
"What we were tasked to do as the IMC on food prices was to look at the decisions that Cabinet took in 2008 and review as to how far we are in terms of implementing those decisions.
"Secondly, [we were tasked] to come up with short term measures that Cabinet can look at and approve so that we can address challenges in areas where we found people who are badly affected by high food prices," Ramabulana said on Friday, adding that issues of high food prices were monitored on a regular basis.
"The emerging issue now is that we have this drought in the US which is the probably the biggest drought they've had in the past 30-years that has impacted drastically on the prices of grains and invariably that will happen in the price of meat as well. That is a major concern that we have," he said.
The question was what to do about it. "What we're talking about in terms of short term measures both on a social and production side are important because those are the issues that will have to be implemented to ensure that those who are badly affected by high food prices are able to at least feed themselves.
"Those measures that Cabinet approved are being implemented as we speak," he said, referring to National School Nutrition Programme where school children are given meals at schools.
"We are looking at whether to do that during holidays and weekends," he said.
The IMC is to hold a meeting in October. - SANews.gov.za
Reported by: South African Government News Service
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