Plans to bring food to Malawi's poor

The World Food Programme (WFP) is drafting plans to help thousands of impoverished Malawians survive this year's maize shortages.

WFP representative in Malawi, Adamo Diop-Faye, told IRIN on Tuesday that any food aid would be channelled through food-for-work programmes run by the agency. "The government asks that any intervention should be channelled through food-for-work," she said. "We are developing an emergency operation, which still has to be approved. We are trying to push for January. We're heading to the holidays, so it seems the first distributions will be in January."

A recent rapid food availability assessment, conducted in the first half of November, said high maize prices were preventing the majority of Malawians from buying the staple food.

The assessment, conducted by WFP, FEWS-NET Malawi and the European Commission Food Security Programme, said: "There is a general household level shortage of maize in the country, particularly from own production, and not necessarily food if other food crops are considered (as they should). Availability of other food crops notwithstanding, the number of vulnerable households is higher than normally expected."

"Although it was difficult for the team to determine numbers or percentages of the most vulnerable households, discussions with key informants clearly indicated that there was a proportion of the population in all areas visited that needed various forms of assistance, the inter-agency report said. "The team assessed that between 10 and 25 percent of the population in the sampled Rural Development Projects could be highly vulnerable."

Maize prices in Malawi have increased dramatically in recent months as maize shortages began to bite. Poor Malawians, particularly in the densely populated southern regions, have been particularly affected. Most of their crops were destroyed in floods earlier this year and now they cannot afford to buy enough maize to feed their families.

The assessment said that to assist such groups, current safety nets programmes should be continued and expanded in affected districts, but that no free food should be handed out.

"It is further recommended that any intervention be carried out as expeditiously as possible as we are already in the critical food shortage period (November to February)," the assessment added.

It said that Malawians were using various coping mechanisms to ease their hunger. "Maize shortage at the household level has resulted in the unprecedented household consumption of other foods like cassava, potatoes, rice and maize bran. However, among these crops only cassava and rice can easily be transported and be kept for longer periods. Besides, production of most of these maize alternatives is localised. The team, therefore, urges caution against generalising and overstating the contribution of the maize substitutes to household food security."

According to the assessment, maize is available in most markets throughout the country, but is priced out of reach of the ordinary poor, primarily because ADMARC, the government's maize marketing body, set the price of maize at MK17/kg. "The MK 17/kg ADMARC maize price has had varying impacts on the maize market. In areas where prices were generally lower, the ADMARC price has caused some price increases and vice-versa. The team is of the opinion that the ADMARC price has resulted in maize prices stabilising at a higher level than they would otherwise have been," said the assessment.

According to Diop-Faye, the government is considering providing free food aid to the most vulnerable, including the elderly. The Malawian government could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. However, it said about two months ago that it would try to put aside about 60 mt of maize for free distribution to the most needy. Malawi has had to import 150,000 mt of maize this year.