Government has disbursed 31.7 million kwacha to districts across all ten provinces for relief food procurement as Zambia prepares for the anticipated effects of El Niño.
Vice-President Mutale-Nalumango says the funds have already been used to procure and distribute relief food to prioritised districts.
Presenting a ministerial statement to Parliament, Dr Nalumango says the decentralisation of procurement is intended to reduce costs that would arise from transporting relief commodities from Lusaka.
She says the Disaster Risk Management Division and its partners are also finalising a comprehensive response plan to facilitate additional food assistance or cash transfers throughout the lean period.
The Vice-President says Government is taking proactive measures following the 2023/2024 drought, which affected crop production in 84 of the country’s 116 districts.
According to the 2026 Zambia Vulnerability and Needs Assessment Report, about 1.25 million people across 93 districts could face acute food insecurity between August 2026 and March 2027.
By Best Jere
