‘Food shortage to hit centre, north’
The Central and Northern regions of Malawi will experience food shortages between July and September this year, notes the Famine Early Warning System Network (Fewsnet).
Fewsnet in the May 2013 report notes that food prices remain high although farmers harvested their crops.
“The food security situation will likely begin to deteriorate in the July to September period as some poor households that experienced low crop yields due to dry spells begin to deplete their stocks and run out of cash from crop sales. Poor households will be stressed in Mangochi, Dedza, Salima, Kasungu and Lilongwe Plains. Dowa, Ntchisi, Mchinji, Kasungu and Mzimba will also be stressed,” reads the report.
The report further notes that in April, maize was available in local markets but at very high prices with the national average retail price 154 percent higher than price in April 2012.
Fewsnet says in the northern and central regions, average April 2013 maize prices were 157 and 171 percent higher than 2012, respectively. In the South prices averaged 111 percent higher than April 2012 prices.
The early famine warning body notes that maize prices declined by about 21 percent between March and April and that the drop was expected. It adds that in April, maize prices remained unusually high and well above the five-year average.
It further notes that there were 21 percent maize grain imports in April 2013 when compared to April 2012. Half of these imports were recorded at the Malawi-Mozambique border of Muloza.
Fewsnet attributes the trade pattern to problems traders faced in the Southern Region earlier this year and that traders are now stocking up on maize imports from Mozambique in preparation for the current marketing season. It also explains that maize continues to flow out through the northern borders since demand in the Horn of Africa is high and because the depreciation of the Malawi Kwacha has made Malawian maize very low-priced.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security spokesperson Sarah Tione said government is aware that some areas experienced dry spells.
“We are running winter crop production in the areas. We are implementing a programme that supports farmers through input for work by giving farmers seeds and fertilisers,” she said.
Tione said government is also encouraging dimba production of high value crops such as vegetables which can be sold.
Tione said government is not guaranteeing 100 percent mitigation, but the measures will reduce cases of extreme hunger.
Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) national coordinator Tamani Nkhono-Mvula was recently quoted that maize is a crop which needs to be handled well.
Nkhono-Mvula noted that maize is a very strategic crop in as far as food security is concerned. He asked traders to be more disciplined in handling maize.
He added that maize exporters must have licences and should remit to Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and government all the dues on their exports.
