Oxfam Malawi has called on the government to move with urgency in procuring enough grain for the country to mitigate a possible hunger caused by effects of the El Niño.
In a statement, Oxfam Malawi Executive Director Lingalireni Mihowa said any delays in procuring the staple commodity will burden about nine million affected Malawians.
She said demand for maize would be elevated in the region as most other countries have been affected this year.
“We are hoping the government has urgently moved to procure enough grain on the global or regional markets because, currently, we have millions of people that have nothing to eat because they did not harvest anything and importing maize now will make the grain accessible on local markets and also support the ongoing humanitarian responses,” she said.
Mihowa then commended the government for launching the National El Nino-induced Prolonged Dry Spells and Floods Response Appeal which would help in soliciting resources.
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She then called on the donor community to urgently help the country.
“According the National El Nino-induced Prolonged Dry Spells and Floods Response Appeal, the country’s crop estimates show that Malawi is expected to only harvest 2.9 million metric tonnes of maize against the expected 3.5 million metric tonnes and the deficit poses a severe threat to food security and economic stability in the country,” she said.
Meanwhile, the government through the National Food Reserve Agency has increased their budgetary allocation for the procurement of maize from K12 billion to K22 billion.
