Close to five million will need food aid, WFP

The food crisis in Malawi has surpassed previous worst-case scenarios, with more than 4.7 million people in need of assistance until March 2006, the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed on Monday. Stephanie Savariaud, WFP spokeswoman in the capital, Lilongwe, told IRIN a revised Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report showed that "4,776,000 people will need food aid". When the UN launched its $88 million Flash Appeal for Malawi in August it was estimated that 4.2 million people would need help through to March next year, but the appeal noted that the estimate would be affected by changes in the price of maize, which have increased steadily as the year progressed. "Needs are rising and January is in the middle of the traditional lean [between harvests] season. What was worrying was that in September already, malnutrition rates were higher than at the same time last year," Savariaud said. In its weekly situation report WFP said the MVAC indicated that the rising number of people in need would require just over 270,000 mt of food aid, "of which WFP expects to provide over 80 percent". "Maize availability and access continues to be problematic in all southern districts, as the supply in [state grain marketer] ADMARC's depots continues to be sporadic. The decreased supply of maize in local markets is evidence that imported supplies from Mozambique are dwindling," WFP said. While WFP has concentrated its interventions in the south of the country, those in need in the central and northern parts have been assisted by the government and its supporting partners, such as the United Kingdom's Department for International Development. Savariaud said WFP planned to increase the number of people receiving food distributions. "We planned to feed 1.9 million people in December and we know that in January we're going to need to feed 2.4 million," she said. The government, with the support of donors, will be assisting the balance of people who are food insecure.