Don’t blame incumbent govt, devaluation over food scarcity – urges Catholic organization

Catholic-based Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) has disclosed that Malawi was still going to face food scarcity in most of the areas, arguing that devaluation of the local currency is not a reason for the deficit in food supply.

The Centre’s Executive Director Fr. Dr. James Ngahy dared non-governmental organizations (NGOs), politicians and journalists to stop misleading the populace on what caused the problem of food scarcity in the country.

Ngahy made the sentiments in the statement he released on Friday this week.

Apparently, opposition politicians have been blaming President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and his government for aligning the local currency against the United States dollar, saying it has made the cost of living unbearable for poor Malawians.

But the Catholic priest emphasized that NGOs like the Centre for Social Concern and others, media, the government and all other concerned stakeholders have a duty or responsibility of educating people on how to balance their food stuff for their sustainability throughout the year.

“Moreover, we need to look for other sustainable possibilities or alternatives for the farmers to have or grow some saleable cash crops or other food crops in order for them to curtail the situation that we are facing today, and indeed, the situation that we have been encountering annually in Malawi,” he said.

“Of recent, the Centre for Social Concern, in its research, found that the price of maize, and indeed, the cost of living has increased drastically especially in the month of November, 2023. Without generalising the single fact of devaluation of Kwacha, a few simple remarks or observations could be made from an objective viewpoint.”

Father Ngahy observed that lack of food in Malawi, as a whole, has made the demand for maize/food to be higher than the supply, a simple economic principle he said cannot be debated.

He said this implies that even if there was no devaluation of Kwacha, Malawi was still going to face food scarcity in most of the areas of the country.

“A few years ago some of the reasons for food scarcity were cyclones (climate change), then Covid-19, and today’s devaluation. History, surely, speaks by itself! The devaluation at 44% is an extra-ordinary reality that our beloved country, the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ is floating in or rather suffocating through. Thus, the price increase in maize and other commodities has pushed the cost of living to be extraordinarily high,” he said.

He further stated that ADMARC or the government’s effort to assist the vulnerable farmers or Malawians changes less the situation of food insecurity in the country.

He warned that the situation may even become worse with global warming as the subset of climate change.

“The trend or reality we are facing now may sustain longer if there are no prompt, adequate and drastic measures to be taken with immediate effect. How?  Basically and from simple common sense, if we continue to depend entirely on maize as both cash and food crop, the trend will remain that stable or even worsen.

“Why? Simply because people or farmers fail to balance how much they are to sell at the beginning of harvest season, and how much they are to keep for their sustainability for the rest of the year. We are to be pragmatic and realistic, and NOT simply theoretic! Food for thought,” he concluded.

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