4.4 Million Malawians to be Affected by Hunger in 2023, MVAC Report
In Nsanje district, communities have already started fetching water lilies, popularly called "Nyika," which is putting their lives at risk of crocodile attacks.
NSANJE, Malawi-A recent report by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) has revealed that a population of 4.4 million will be affected by hunger this year in the country, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
In Nsanje district, communities have already started fetching water lilies, popularly called "Nyika," which is putting their lives at risk of crocodile attacks.
Verah Vashiku from Chisamba, in the area of Senior Chief Mbenje in the district, says she and other women have no choice but to risk going into the waters to hunt for Nyika as an alternative food.
"We can't afford to buy maize from the vendors who are taking advantage of the scarcity of the commodity in Admarc markets to hike prices," she said.
Vashiku alleged that a container of 5 kilogrammes is going for between K3,500 and K4,000 depending on the availability of the grain on the market, translating to K35,000 to K40,000 per 50-kilogram bag of maize.
A resident at Nchalo in Chikwawa, Macdonald Bithi, blamed the authorities for their failure to plead with Illovo Sugar Company and Kaombe Sugar Estate to use some of their sugarcane fields for growing maize to address the hunger situation in the country.
He said during the era of Dr Joice Banda, Illovo Company's gardens were used to grow maize for a period of three to four months.
Already, most gardens in the communities in the southern region were severely hit by cyclone Freddy; hence, people had little or no harvest," Bithi said.
Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu recently told the media in Nsanje that the government will, in due course, open Admarc markets so that the grain is available in the country.
Meanwhile, Sylvester Namiwa, Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Initiatives (CDEDI), has challenged parliamentarians meeting in Lilongwe to prioritise the country's hunger situation as a serious issue.