The Executive Secretary of SADC, Dr Tomaz Salomao, said here on Saturday that the region would experience an overall cereal deficit of 5.5 million tonnes."This will therefore result in an increase in the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance in terms of food and non-food intervention," said Dr Salomao. Reading the Final Communique of the 32nd Summit of the SADC Heads of States and Government, he urged member states to undertake appropriate measures to ensure sustainable food security in line with the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security.
"In the short term, member states are encouraged to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance," urged Dr Salomao, noting that the Summit had reviewed the regional food security situation, in particular cereal, non cereal and livestock production and noted the said deficit.However, while adjourning Bunge session last Friday, the Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda, assured the nation that Tanzania had surplus of over 1.58 million tonnes of food.Dr Salomao said the Summit also noted that the economic performance of the region was characterised by a slow growth as shown by a decline in real GDP from 5.5 percent in 2010 to 4.7 percent last year and a stagnant level of average inflation at 8.3 percent.
