Older people worst hit in economic crisis

The food, fuel and finance crisis has put Malawians at risk of increased poverty and food security, with the elderly being the worst hit.

This is according to a recent research jointly conducted by HelpAge International and Malawi Network of Older Persons’ Organisations.

The research found that to cope with soaring prices and increasing food insecurity, most older people had no choice but to buy less expensive food and fuel, reduce their food and fuel consumption, and avoid using transport, which affected their access to healthcare, markets, and even running their businesses.

Reads the research report in part: “The most common coping mechanisms adopted by older people in dealing with the worsening food insecurity include restricting the number of meals eaten per day, consuming less expensive food, and reducing meal portions.

“Higher costs for diesel and petrol have limited the ability of older people to use transportation, which has affected their access to health services.”

The survey revealed that at the time of the research, 87 percent of older people in the study areas had poor food security status, which was measured through the food consumption score, calculated by multiplying the number of days a food commodity was consumed and its relative weight, based on a seven-day recall period.

Said one of the respondents:” Fish used to cost K200 but now it is K400 which has made us reduce the number of times we include fish in our meals.

“We used to drink milk tea every Sunday but now drinking tea is too luxurious and we cannot afford that anymore.”

Said another responded: “Paraffin tin lamps are only lit for a few minutes to perform important tasks due to the expensive cost of paraffin, since a tin of paraffin used to cost K50 and is now K200.”

Malawi has experienced major shocks and disruptions in the recent years.

Based on the World Food Programme assessment1, the country has been affected by the global food price increases resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic as well as by the Russia-Ukraine war.

These factors, as well as the impacts of climate change have all contributed to Malawi’s food, fuel and finance crisis.

Recently, the 2022/23 Malawi Labour Market Profile by the Danish Trade Union Development Agency highlighted that weak social protection coverage continues to face most workers despite a growing recognition of the role of social protection floors in Malawi to reduce poverty and inequality.

The analysis shows that although social protection programmes reflect the relatively high penetration rate compared to the neighbouring countries, the programmes have mainly benefitted the non-poor group.

Government is banking on the Malawi Social Cash Transfer Programme Strategic Plan that runs from 2022 to 2027 to increase overall funding and ownership of social protection programme and policy in Malawi by increasing overall financing and government contribution to 15 percent of total programme costs.

Meanwhile, budget allocations to on-budget social protection programmes have hit their lowest value as a share of the total budget since 2016/17 fiscal year.

Earlier, Economists Association of Malawi executive director Frank Chikuta said government needs to implement other initiatives to avoid duplication and ensure sustainability of the social cash transfer programmes in the country.

An estimated 51 percent of Malawi’s 18 million people are living below the poverty line while about 20.5 percent of the population are ultra-poor, meaning that based on 2019 data, one out of five Malawians was unable to meet their daily food requirements.