Dodma starts relief maize distribution
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) is today expected to start distribution of relief maize for the lean period to the 5.7 million people facing hunger nationwide.
But while appreciating the gesture, Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Sameer Suleman has called for the need for all Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) depots to have maize to sell to food-insecure Malawians who can afford.
In an interview yesterday, Dodma spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula said the exercise will be launched in Blantyre and Neno, while Chikwawa and Mwanza districts will have it on Saturday.
He said: “If you check on the schedule, we have districts that require assistance for six months and we will start with such districts and others where people have also been heavily affected
“The relief is mainly maize and cash transfers amounting to K70 000. The cash transfers will depend on which funds the district is being supported from. Of course, we will also be distributing some rice in some instances, but there is no provision of pulses.”
Khamula said between July 1 and August 30 2024 Dodma provided once-off relief assistance of over 30 000 bags of maize or maize flour to beneficiaries in Chikwawa, Dedza, Dowa, Lilongwe, Machinga, Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bay, Nsanje and Salima districts.
He said more donors are coming forward with cash and kind donations to square the K88 billion shortfall out of the K278 billion to cater for the 5.7 million people facing hunger in the 2024/25 lean season.
Khamula said Japan so far has donated 1 861 metric tonnes (MT) of rice (about 37 220 bags each weighing 50 kg) valued at $1.9 million (about K 3.3 billion) while China is donating 1 830 MT of rice, out of which 470 MT have been shipped.
“The World Bank has made a commitment to provide $30 million [about K51 billion] under the Crisis Response Window. This amount has not been incorporated in the current status of resource mobilisation, so the gap is expected to narrow down as we implement the programme,” he said.
Previously, the bank provided $57.2 million (about K97.2 billion ) under the Catastrophe Drawdown and another $5 million (about K8.5 billion) under the contingency emergency response component.
However, Suleman said it was concerning that Admarc still does not have the capacity to sell maize to the public.
“What is happening is all politics. There is very little maize being distributed, like in Admarc depots,” he said.
But Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale told Parliament last week that Admarc has started distribution of maize to its depots, especially to the most affected areas in the Southern Region.
He said the outstanding maize requirement for the entire food security programme remains at 166 867 MT.
Maize production has this year declined from the 2022/23 final round estimate of 3 509 837 MT to 2 712 578 MT, severely straining national food availability which has placed millions of Malawians at risk of food insecurity.
