By Staff Reporter
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale has reassured Malawians that the government is dedicated in ensuring food security despite concerns of hunger in the country caused by the impact of El Nino and erratic rainfall.
During his statement in Parliament in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Kawale emphasised that government, through the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) is storing 35,000 metric tonnes of maize.
He stated that this supply is crucial for maintaining the Strategic Grain Reserve, which will be utilised to saying the maize will address the food security challenges faced by vulnerable communities.
He said the maize will also stabilise the market during price fluctuations.
Furthermore, he mentioned that ADMARC currently holds 31,000 metric tons of maize for direct sale to the public, particularly in areas with limited food access, in order to stabilize prices.
ADMARC’s role in ensuring affordable maize for Malawians, especially in food-insecure regions, remains pivotal.
Kawale also announced that the government has secured an additional MK10 billion in funding to procure more maize to meet the existing and anticipated demand.
“The procurement process is currently ongoing, with a focus on acquiring local and regional maize to adequately replenish our stocks before the lean season,”Kawale stated.
Additionally, he outlined that the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) has evaluated the food security situation and identified approximately 5.7 million people across the country who are food insecure. This alarming statistic represents a significant portion of the population requiring immediate food assistance to combat hunger and malnutrition.
“The MVAC estimates that these food-insecure households will require 261,574.29 metric tonnes of maize to fulfill their food needs throughout the programme, including in-kind food distributions
We are also exploring further imports and alternative strategies to bolster our reserves and through the winter production whereby NFRA will off-take maize from some commercial farmers with over USD 6.8 million already secured” said kawale
