Cyclone Freddy washes way 15 000 hectares—FUM

Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has expressed fears of a reduced crop output this farming season following the washing away of 15 000 hectares of crops by Cyclone Freddy induced floods.

FUM chief executive officer Jacob Nyirongo said in an interview on Thursday the figure is based on a preliminary assessment on crops damaged by the storm.

This may worsen the food security situation in the country where about 3.8 million people, according to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) report, will have food shortage.

Nyirongo said: “A preliminary assessment indicates that more than 15 000 hectares of crops have been washed away.

“The cyclone has devastated crops at a time when farmers were about to start harvesting maize and this means that the lean period for most of the affected households has been extended.”

He said farmers will require a well-structured and coordinated response and recovery plan to guide stakeholders on their immediate needs and what it will take for them to recover.

Nyirongo said recovery activities may include winter cropping, restocking of livestock through a pass-on programme and extending financial products to farmers to reinvest in agriculture.

Farmers have found themselves in such a predicament when the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) indicated that crop production deficits in the Southern and Central regions will remain key drivers of acute food insecurity.

In its published March 23 2023 Integrated Food Security Analysis, Fewsnet states that the situation will further be as a result of high prices for food and basic non-food commodities.

In an interview on Wednesday, agriculture policy expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula said it was clear that the storm would negatively impact this year’s crop output.

He said such an effect would be felt until the next two farming seasons as households struggle to recover from such a shock.

Nkhono Mvula said: “In some areas, food and cash crops have been destroyed completely.

“In terms of value, we should look at it in the perspective of the actual value of the crop that has been lost and resources invested to come up with this crop.”

The agriculture policy expert stressed the need for a well-coordinated approach to ensure farmers that have lost their crops are supported.

Fewsnet earlier predicted that Malawi was likely going to face a deepened food crisis through such unforeseen calamities despite efforts by the government and humanitarian partners’ to improve food security through food assistance initiatives.

But Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale in a WhatsApp response on Wednesday said  government will do its own assessment in Cyclone Freddy affected districts and Karonga in the Northern Region.

While acknowledging government’s delays in making the assessments, Kawale attributed it to the state of roads and bridges most of which are cut off.

He said: “After the assessment, we will know how to assist those who have been affected by providing sweet potatoes and cassava for winter cropping.”

The minister said government’s report on the assessment is expected to be available by the end of this week.

Tropical Cyclone Ana destroyed 115 388 hectares of crops and washed away 51 023 livestock, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.