The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) says it will start distributing maize under the 2026/27 Lean Season Food Insecurity Response in November.
In an interview yesterday, Dodma commissioner Wilson Moleni said the response will provide assistance to food insecure people for up to four months.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac), through the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, projected that 2.6 million people will face acute food insecurity during the 2026/27 lean season.
Mvac, a multi-stakeholder assessment committee, estimated that cushioning the affected population for three to four months would require 97 887 metric tonnes (MT) of maize, valued at K124.3 billion.
Moleni said the maize is available locally, but Dodma is yet to know how much from the Strategic Grain Reserves will be allocated to the response.
“As for the required maize, it is locally available, but we will wait for confirmation of the quantity that would be allocated to the response by the responsible committee,” he said.
Moleni said Dodma will start prepositioning maize in October to ensure that the onset of rains should not disrupt transportation ahead of the November distribution.
He cited Neno, Mangochi and parts of Nkhata Bay districts as areas needing maize to be stored before the rains intensify.
Meanwhile, the 2026/27 Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Plan is expected to be considered for approval by the National Disaster Risk Management Committee at a meeting expected next week.
Moleni said the plan outlines interventions and resource requirements for different clusters, including nutrition and transport.
Commenting on the development, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Centre for Agricultural Research and Development director Innocent Pangapanga Phiri said starting food distribution in November would not necessarily be a problem because some households can still access maize through markets.
He, however, urged Dodma to ensure that relief maize is prepositioned before the rains intensify to prevent logistical challenges from delaying assistance.
In its August 2026 Malawi Country Brief, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it plans to help more than 600 000 food-insecure people in four southern districts during the 2026/27 lean season.
The WFP emergency response is expected to target people in Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe and Zomba between October 2026 and March 2027.
During the 2025/26 consumption period, about four million people faced hunger while 6.18 million needed assistance in 2024/25.
