Britain approves food aid grant

The British government has approved a food aid grant of US $1.6 million for Malawi which has struggled to raise emergency funds to fight food shortages that forced President Bakili Muluzi to declare a disaster in February.

The Department for International Development (DFID) grant comes after months of fruitless appealing by the government for funds to help the seven million people affected by the country's drought and food shortages.

A statement released by DFID in Lilongwe on Thursday said the grant was intended to maximise cultivation during the dry winter season know as dimba cultivation.

Small packs containing maize, bean seed and fertiliser would be provided which would help improve protein availability in the household diet.

The scheme was developed by DFID and the ministry of agriculture as a cost effective way of dealing with the food crisis and was expected to yield 75,000 mt of domestically-produced maize by October.

Head of DFID in Malawi, Mike Wood said: "We remain very concerned about the food shortages in Malawi. Since January we have provided US $4,5 million for direct food relief, but there is still an urgent need to boost domestic production."

The grant should help reduce government expenditure on imported food in the latter part of 2002.

The food crisis in Malawi was exacerbated by low maize production during the last growing season and flooding. At least 500 people have reportedly died of hunger in Malawi this year.

Care International also announced that it is to expand its food programmes in Southern Africa. Malawi would benefit along with Zimbabwe and Zambia.

As one of the few NGOs which works in all three countries, Care was nominated to head an NGO consortium in Malawi to co-ordinate food distribution, which will distribute 80,000 mt of maize, a statement said.

Up to 88,000 people in three districts in central Malawi - Dedza, Lilongwe and Dowa - would receive food.

Nick Osborne, Care Malawi's Country Director said: "All the signs indicate that this is going to be a major humanitarian crisis, unless we step up food distribution now. If we wait two or three months we will have missed the opportunity to save lives."