The hungry resort to desperate tactics

The international NGO World Vision said this week that it was carrying out a food and nutrition assessment in Malawi to determine how best to combat the hunger that is ravaging most of the country. Many desperate people are reportedly eating maize husks and wild roots.

The assessment was initiated following recent pleas for assistance in the face of a looming famine in the southern African nation. Almost half of the 27 administrative districts in the country reported serious food shortfalls, in the wake of the worst floods to hit Malawi in recent years, according to World Vision. In the floods, which wreaked havoc earlier this year, 15 people were killed and over 320,000 were left homeless. In addition, crops were destroyed just when the staple food, maize, was ripening.

Since then, there have been persistent reports of people starving, particularly in rural areas. World Vision said it had assisted several communities in areas near projects in southern Malawi with relief food. WFP has also used World Vision project staff to help distribute food. Those affected by the food shortfalls, in both rural areas and cities such as Blantyre, Mzuzu and Lilongwe (the Capital), have now resorted to eating maize husks, normally reserved for animals. A recent report in the 'Malawi News', a popular weekend newspaper, revealed that some villagers are now eating bitter roots and tubers from indigenous shrubs.

The government has stated it needs to import 150,000 mts of maize from South Africa to meet the shortfalls. However, technical hitches, including a railway workers strike, have hindered food importation. In addition, maize prices have skyrocketed recently by as much as 170 percent. A 50 kg bag of maize is now a prohibitive US $12. The results of World Vision's 10-day assessment in various parts of the country are expected to be available in a week's time.