Minister says eat less: Malawi citizens should adopy ‘coping mechanism’ in crisis

Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Allan Chiyembekeza has called people in the country to reduce food wastes and take lesser meals during the lean period.

Chiyembekeza at Katundu Village pic Sungani Nyoni Mana
Chiyembekeza at Katundu Village pic Sungani Nyoni Mana
Mwinjiro
Mwinjiro

Chiyembekeza made the call in Thyolo on Tuesday when he visited farmers from Katundu and M’mambo villages in Matapwata and Thyolo Central Extension planning Areas (EPAs) to assess the crop situation and determine the impact of the dry spell.

He said floods and dry spells that hit most parts last year contributed to poor harvest of the staple grain that resulted into many families yielding.

“If you have food at home and you normally eat three meals a day please adjust yourselves to one and half meals. This is the only coping mechanism that can work in the current situation,” said Chiyembekeza.

On the current crop situation, Chiyembekeza said government was aware of the crop stand in the country as it was not only the district that was affected but a number of districts such as Chiradzulu, Phalombe and Mulanje were also affected.

The minister therefore explained that while government was still strategising on a lasting solution to the challenges, it has already planned to distribute cassava cuttings and sweet potato vines to the affected farmers to plant as an alternative.

On this note, Chiyembekeza advised the farmers to stop relying much on the rains but to divert to irrigation farming which has proven to be the best in the country and other parts of the world.

Said Chiyembekeza, “For the past two years we have seen the adverse impact of climate change and one of them is the unreliable rainfall pattern which has been so disastrous. Therefore we need to be shifting towards irrigation farming and also to do crop diversification.”

One of the farmers from Katundu Village, Francis Mwinjiro said farmers in the area do not have any hope because they planted with the first rains and the dry spell came at a time when the crops were at a flowering stage.

“We planted in mid December last year and the dry spell came when our crops were at an advanced stage. We cannot uproot and replant because the time has already gone. We just need help,” said Mwinjiro.

In his brief report, Thyolo District Agricultural Development Officer Raphael Mkisi said the district experienced dry spells for a period of four weeks from third week of December to second week of January.

“The four weeks of dry spell in the district had effects which ranged from mild to very severe. The total affected area was 27,110 hectares of various crops and out of that 10,888 hectares were severely affected and needed replanting,” said Mkisi.

According to the DADO, the food situation in the district as of this month is 29 percent whereas same period last growing season it was at 11 percent.

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mbani
8 years ago

mbuzi another Jappie in the making

Mlawiboy
Mlawiboy
8 years ago

The minister looks as though he should lead by example and eat only half of what he so obviously eats per day.
How does that fat man expect people to take him seriously when he obviously enjoys what they obviously need, Enough real food.
Shame on him.

Rankin Kumwenda
Rankin Kumwenda
8 years ago

Allan,walephera.Just go back to breeding groundnuts at Chitedze.

mwene
mwene
8 years ago

NYASAS WERE THE ONES EATING ONE MEAL PER DAY AND THAT IS BEFORE NGWAZI DR. H. KAMUZU BANDA LIBERATED US FROM COLONIALISM I.E 60 YEARS AGO. HOW CAN A WHOLE MINISTER ASK US TODAY TO GO BACKWARDS 60 YEARS TODAY????? IT ONLY SHOWS APM AND HIS CREW ARE CLUELESS!!!! RESIGN AND LET OTHER BRAINY PEOPLE LEAD US!!!!!!!

ZATHU.DWEDE
ZATHU.DWEDE
8 years ago

wABA NDALAMA ZA MACUOPON ATI CHANI

Will Phillips
Will Phillips
8 years ago

It seems there may be a disconnect of understanding, at least in regard to the Shire Valley… here we are hearing (unconfirmed) currently…overall 15 to 20% of the people eating three meals a day? … The rest 80 to 85% two or less meals (likely with little relish). So whatever the figure is of people without three meals per day (and to what nutritional standard?) we are in problems… and so desperate statements, well meaning, but perhaps showing a shallow well bone dry for solutions… we wait for irrigation schemes to be brought on line… until then what will change?

Mapwevupwevu
Mapwevupwevu
8 years ago

Kumene tichokera mukudziwako!
Kapena tidziti mwabadwa lero???

Mwadzolowera kuphika nsima yaphwamwamwa
kuilumpha mpaka kuilephera!

Chimanga chiliko ku Admarc
koma ma dokotala ndi manesi mudzilima chimanga cha odwala!

Mose wa lero mose wa lero ndi Mutharika!

Ellias
Ellias
8 years ago

Eat less? iweyo ukudya less pakhomo pako? magalimoto ukuyenderawo?

phanana
phanana
8 years ago

How can a Minister advise the whole country that people should eat less meals while many people are sleeping with empty stomach for 7days,give us lasting food availability solutions in this country. There’s no maize available in admarks.

ndebvuzamwayi
ndebvuzamwayi
8 years ago

No! it was Jappy M hango who proposed this stupid scheme for Hospitals to have their own land for feeding the patients. It was the same Minister who said there is plenty of maize in Admarc depots. Our admarc in Zomba however, is full with timber for cement and malata project. useless.

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