The national deputy Jean-Jacques Mpanga wa Lukalaba addressed, since May 8, an oral question to the Minister of Agriculture concerning the shortage of maize in the Katanga and Kasaï areas, decentralized entities of the province of Haut-Katanga. In his correspondence, the elected representative asks the Minister of Agriculture if he is surprised by this situation and what measures he has taken to avoid this shortage.
Deputy Jean-Jacques Mpanga also asks the Minister to make available to the representatives of the people the statistics for the last three years describing the needs for consumption and production of maize in the Katanga and Kasaï areas.
It also asks for details on the implementation of the measures recommended in the Government Action Program 2021-2023 aimed at encouraging and supporting civil servants and public authorities to acquire agricultural land and carry out agro-pastoral activities there.
Furthermore, the MP believes that priority should be given to domestic production rather than the conclusion of maize import agreements with Zambia and South Africa. He points out that the DRC has 80 million hectares of arable land capable of feeding two billion people in the world, but that it faces food insecurity.
Indeed, the low national production is the main cause of the shortage of maize flour in these Katanga and Kasaï areas. The deputy recalls that agriculture is the keystone of a country’s development and that food security is one of the rights guaranteed by the Congolese Constitution.
In search of a solution to this maize shortage problem, the Democratic Republic of Congo has concluded supply agreements with Zambia and South Africa, but the MP believes that this path is short-lived. He believes that households in the Katanga and Kasaï areas resort to the food shedding system, which in his opinion constitutes a programmed death of the populations concerned.
This oral question with debate relating to the shortage of maize in the Katanga and Kasaï spaces launched by the national deputy Jean-Jacques Mpanga wa Lukalaba is of crucial importance. It aims to ensure food security for the population and to encourage national production to avoid the risk of imports and shortages of maize. This is essential for the DRC, a country that has vast agricultural potential to feed the planet, but faces food insecurity.