Dodma targets 139,000 metric tonnes for MVAC
BY YOHANE SYMON:
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs has said there might be a ‘slight’ delay in the distribution of about 139,000 metric tonnes of maize to 3.3 million people who face food shortage between now and March next year.
The delay, according to Secretary and Commissioner for Disaster in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Ernest Kantchentche, is a result of the extension of the ongoing once-off distribution of relief maize to 432,000 households across the country.
What this means, Kuntchentche said, is that the food response targeting beneficiaries identified by the recently released Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report would be linked with the current maize distribution exercise to ensure that there is no gap between distribution exercises.
Kantchentche said this in Mangochi District after monitoring maize distribution efforts in the lakeshore district.
“At the moment, preparations are at an advanced stage to help us respond to the MVAC report immediately after the current exercise. We are procuring transport services and [making] other logistic arrangements to make sure that the process is completed on time,” he said.
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The government had planned to finish the once-off distribution exercise on October 27 but the exercise has been extended to some districts due to challenges such as inadequate funding and transport for the relief maize.
However, Kantchentche said his department has started engaging district councils to immediately start targeting and verifying names of beneficiaries so that the distribution exercise starts immediately after the current exercise.
“We have established that these people seriously need relief food. We cannot give them a single bag and stop there. We want to continue giving them the food until they are stable,” he said.
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