Malawi Government has observed that food waste is an enormous drain on natural resources and contributes to negative environmental impacts.
Principal secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Management Yanira Ntupanyama said food waste means that all the resources and inputs used to produce food are also lost.
She made the statement as part of the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5, under the theme “Think, eat and save”.
It is reported that Malawi loses about 40 percent of yield or K16 billion (about $40m) worth of maize in post-harvest losses every year due to improper grain storage and treatment methods.
According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted, equivalent to the same amount produced in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ntupanyama in the statement said the country’s economy is linked to the environment in many important ways as several economic activities including production, consumption and waste disposal, affect and are affected with the environment.
In Lilongwe, florists’ giant Four Seasons Nursery on Tuesday showed how they value the environment when the company led various stakeholders in cleaning some parts of the city to mark this year’s environmental week. The clean-up exercise saw ‘Lizulu’ vegetable Market, Game and Shoprite area being swept and cleaned.
