National News

Hunger bites hard in Balaka

 

Balaka is one of the districts where crops were washed away by floods early this year and, today, some families are surviving on boiled green mangoes.

Katalina Ndege from Gibson Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nsamala in Balaka has struggled to find food for her household.

Ndege (L) being assisted by her grand-daughter to light a fire  to boil the mangoes
Ndege (L) being assisted by her grand-daughter to light a fire
to boil the mangoes

She and her grandchildren are surviving on boiled mangoes which are apparently fast running out of supply.

Ndege feels doomed because she does not even have fertiliser nor seed to use during this growing season.

People who have money to buy maize at Balaka Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) depot are having to go back home empty handed after spending a night at the depot because maize is not sufficient even after rationing to no more than 20 kilogrammes (kg) per buyer.

Balaka district commissioner (DC) Rodrick Mateauma acknowledged Balaka is facing serious hunger.

He, however, said 33 500 families are going to benefit from government relief maize.

 

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