Maize shortage in the Katanga and Kasai areas: An elected representative challenges the Minister of Agriculture
Since May 8, national deputy Jean-Jacques Mpanga wa Lukalaba, elected from the territory of Mitwaba in the province of Haut-Katanga, has been questioning the Minister of Agriculture on the shortage of maize in the Katanga and Kasaï areas. In a letter addressed to the President of the National Assembly, he wonders what measures the Minister has taken to avoid this situation and what about the level of execution of these measures.
The deputy 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. He wants to know the level of implementation of the measures recommended in the Government Action Program 2021-2023 to encourage and support civil servants and public authorities to carry out agro-pastoral activities on agricultural land.
The MP also questions the priority given to securing maize import deals with Zambia and South Africa. According to him, this path is ephemeral, especially since these exporting countries can at any time take restrictive measures to guarantee the food security of their populations.
Indeed, the low national production of maize is the main cause of the shortage of maize flour that the Katanga and Kasai areas are currently experiencing. However, the Democratic Republic of Congo has 80 million hectares of arable land, capable of feeding 2 billion people around the world, according to the FAO report of 2016.
Fighting against food insecurity is therefore a major challenge for the country, as recalled in article 47 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which makes food security one of the rights guaranteed to Congolese. MP Jean-Jacques Mpanga wants the Minister of Agriculture to clarify the measures he has taken to ensure sustainable food security.
This interpellation underlines the importance of promoting and investing in agriculture, which is a keystone for the development of a country, because it contributes effectively to the fight against poverty and ensures the food self-sufficiency of the population.