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Why does African politics continue thinking that it can legislate its way to prosperity?
On Saturday 1 July 2017, Zimbabwe is set to begin its food fortification programme. Put simply, food fortification is the process of adding minute levels of vitamins and minerals to foods during processing. Launched in 2016, the programme is officially known as the National Food Fortification Strategy and is part of the Zimbabwean government’s policy to boost nutrition and have a healthy population.
The food fortification programme is specifically geared to address the country’s deficiency in micronutrients as revealed by the Zimbabwe Micronutrient Survey of 2012. The program will affect the processing of maize meal, sugar, cooking oil and wheat flour. Results of the survey indicated that 19 percent of children between the ages of 6 – 59 months are vitamin A deficient, with 72 percent suffering from iron deficiency and 31 percent being anaemic.
Without a doubt, the issue of nutrition is important in any country. The program will be enacted through a statutory instrument that is currently under construction according to Health and Child Care Minister Dr. David Parirenyatwa. Despite the gravity of the situation in Zimbabwe, this policy decision brings with it two crucial questions: How did the country get to a point where such measures need to be taken and is this program the best way to deal with issue of malnutrition?
At the core of this problem is the issue of poverty and access to healthy food. In a country where per capita GDP is estimated to be about US$600, with a further estimated 90% unemployment rate, normal Zimbabweans simply do not have the means to access healthy food options. To further exacerbate the situation, agricultural production is low, with the simple factor of national food security no longer being guaranteed.
The role of government is serving the needs of a particular function or constituency and to effect policy in identified areas. The proposal of food fortification is most troubling as there are deeper issues that need to be addressed which have generally not been argued in the case for this fortification program. Food fortification is simply a stop gap measure which deals with one symptom of a great national problem. To fix the issue of malnutrition thoroughly, the government first needs to address the root cause which is a failing economy.
The implementation of the program has already received much opposition from food producers in the country due to economic considerations. As agricultural production is low, food producers have to import much of what is supplied to the local market. The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has argued that importers of grain are facing challenges in importing the fortification equipment and ‘fortificants’ that are required. This is mainly because of foreign currency shortages that the country is also facing. Despite this, government is adamant, with the Health Minister insisting the programme will go ahead as planned.
There is no running away from the economic considerations when looking at policy decisions in Zimbabwe. In November 2016, the country introduced a unique surrogate currency called Bond Notes as a measure to ease mounting foreign currency shortages, particularly the United States dollar, that have crippled importers ability to pay foreign suppliers for necessary goods and services. The issue of Bond Notes is itself another example of a policy that only addresses the symptom of cash shortages instead of the greater problem which has to do with low economic activity, low levels of foreign and local investment, high unemployment, business closures and difficulty of doing business.
In the case of food fortification, producers face challenges in buying the vitamins, minerals and other chemical compounds mandated for the program from their foreign suppliers.
From a policy point of view, the government needs to find ways to increase production in industries such as agriculture and mining which are very labour intensive. This boost would bring in much needed foreign direct investment as the country exports products such as gold, platinum, wheat and sugar; all the while providing employment to people whose increased disposable incomes allow them to boost secondary and tertiary industries like retail, manufacturing, banking and education. In addition, food producers then have the ability to ensure that the nutritional value of their final products is high enough for people to not have to worry about deficiency diseases such as goitre. The net effect of this would be consumers that have access to better quality food, which contributes to having a healthier population over time.
Issues of policy often intersect a number of social, political and economic areas. That is the complexity of modern society. As crucial as the issue of food fortification is, the way it is proposed to be implemented in Zimbabwe is just not the best way forward as this is simply a short term fix. Apart from the supply chain issues already mentioned, who actually benefits from such a policy as this is likely to increase the price of maize meal, sugar, cooking oil and wheat flour which has a ripple effect in many supply chains as these are basic food items.
One statutory instrument set to address one problem in a long broken chain will not fix the underlying problems in Zimbabwe’s nutrition deficiency challenge.
