US donates US$27m towards food crisis
The United States has donated US$27 million to Malawi to go towards the provision of monthly food as well as cash ration for over 2.8 million Malawians in need of humanitarian assistance.
The latest additional assistance brings the United States’ total contribution to the humanitarian response to K41 billion (US$55 million).
“The support will fill some immediate needs while also supporting preparations for the next humanitarian response. The maize, beans and corn-soya blend will be purchased from within Malawi or the Southern African region,” reads a statement in part released yesterday.
According to t h e statement, the latest donation will go through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).
US Ambassador to Malawi Virginia Palmer underscored the need for the government to have a long-term resilience plan to tackle agriculture shortfalls holistically.
This, according to Palmer, should be through crop diversification, sustainable environmental management, irrigation and policy reforms which she said could reduce market distortions and expand production.
Among others the donation has been used to procure sorghum, transportation for 18,000 metric tons of maize provided from the government’s strategic grain reserve, maize, beans and a special corn-soya blend for babies and pregnant women.
The donation also includes a US$900,000 contribution to meet the emergency food needs of refugees currently in the country including those from Mozambique who are still arriving in the country.
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