A rights group has told President Dr Lazarus MacCarthy Chakwera to declare Malawi food emergency following worsening hunger situation across the
Malawians queue for food aid
country.
Reports indicate that some people are starving and survive on wild tubers, cooked mangoes as well as maize husks.
Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) Michael Kaiyatsa said some hunger-affected people are barely surviving on maize bran or madeya, wild tubers and cooked mangoes hence the need to make the decision.
But President Lazarus Chakwera has repeatedly said he will ensure that Malawians have access to maize and that the prices are reduced in Admarc depots.
Chakwera said it was necessary for his government to ensure that Malawians have access to maize.
Commenting on the matter, Sameer Suleman, Chairperson for parliamentary committee on agriculture, faulted Chakwera for politicizing the availability of maize in Admarc depots saying the country does not have enough maize as the President is saying.
According to Suleman, the country’s food reserves has 30, 000 of maize which is not enough to be distributed in the depots hence calling upon government to import more maize from other countries.
Maize distribution exercise to households facing hunger situation under the Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Program rolled out in Lilongwe City this week.
This year’s program targets 38,667 vulnerable households from different wards of the city.
This is being spearheaded by DoDMA, WFP and Lilongwe City Civil Protection Committee under Lilongwe City Council (LCC)
