SAMUEL NJINGA IN MASVINGO
The demand for traditional food in Masvingo Province has gone up as the food is believed to have medicinal properties.
Business Times can report that the indigenous variety such as sorghum, millet, rapoko, baobabs, honey, indigenous fruits, mufushwa, rudhe and many other bushy vegetables are in high demand.
“Most of the people are buying these foods because it is believed that they have some medicinal properties that can treat diseases that are affecting the general public.
“These foods serve as herbs for them,” resident Innocent Jaricha said.
Another Masvingo resident, Emelda Manongore said she has been “to several pharmaceutical centres” each time she falls sick and would be advised to go for traditional foods.
“I no longer take refined mealie-meal among other things. I have long since discovered that my health is excellent as long as I am taking in this type of food (traditional),” Manongore said.
A trader at Chitima market in the city of Masvingo, Jeremiah Makonese, said the business was “good” as there has been a surge in volumes bought as residents opt for traditional foods.
“Rapoko, sorghum, millet, mufushwa, baobabs, rudhe and many other bushy vegetables are selling in large volumes,” Makonese said.
He added: “We thought this to be due to the fact that people are experiencing a harsh economic environment thereby resorting to these types of commodities that they use as substitutes.”
Another trader, Esnath Masimba, said she did not know why there is an increased uptake for grain commodities.
“In the past a bucket of sorghum was going for US$5 while Rapoko was going for US$7. We never experienced this kind of a stampede. What is surprising is that we have hiked the price to US$12 and US$15 respectively but to our surprise, the demand is outweighing the supply to such an extent that we are considering revisiting our prices so as to counter the demand that is now before us,” she said.
Masimba added: “As for the reasons we initially thought that this was due to the fact that there is hunger and starvation out there. However, recently I was chatting with one of my clients and she was telling me that the secret behind everything is none other than health matters. She told me that she was now going for traditional foods for the purpose of reducing diseases.”
Contacted for a comment, a medical doctor, Dr Jekiseni Zvemoyo told Business Times that traditional foods were healthy and carry natural fibres and nutrients that are essential for our day-to-day health.
“It is therefore recommended that we use them for health reasons,” Dr Zvemoyo said.
