US is Malawi ‘s ‘friend indeed’: Food aid

United Nation’s World Food Program is now making final arrangements and logististics to bring to Malawi K9 billion worth of relief food courtesy of the US government.

The Obama administration is the first to respond to President Peter Mutharika’s call for food aid to starve off 3 million Malawians facing hunger this year

US ambassador to Malawi, Virginia Palmer says the K9 billion food package include legumes and vegetable oil and the items will be in the country next month ready for distribution by the World Food Program.

Malawi is reeling from acute food shortages due to floods and drought that hit some parts of the country, a situation that has pushed the cost of maize, the staple food up.

The situation has been worsened by the harsh economic environment due to the withdrawal of donor aid among other factors.

This prompted Mutharika to call for food aid from local and international well wishers, saying government has already bought maize from Zambia worth K3 billion which will be distributed next month.