Food security to top SADC meeting agenda

© Jaroslav Moravcik – 123RF.com

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Senzeni Zokwana will represent the country at the joint extraordinary meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture in Ezulwini, Swaziland, on Friday, 19 May.

Zokwana and his counterparts in the SADC region form one of the six sectoral and cluster ministerial committees whose main aim is to address issues related to agriculture and food security.

The SADC ministers responsible for agriculture have been meeting frequently following the drought that severely hit the region in the 2015/16 period and the related food security challenges.

Their last extraordinary meeting was last year November in Swaziland, where they directed the secretariat to convene another extraordinary meeting this month.

Due to the drought and accompanying food security challenges, the ministers have been focusing on the regional food security situation through assessing the rainfall situation for specific crop seasons, as forecast by the relevant regional institutions.

Friday’s meeting will also deliberate on the appropriate measures to be taken whenever there is an outbreak of animal disease, plant pests and diseases in the SADC region.