The International Monetary Fund on Monday said Malawi’s government has asked for international aid to avert widespread hunger following a poor harvest of its staple maize crop.
Malawi needs 2,1-million tonnes of maize each year to feed its 11-million people. Drought has reduced this year’s harvest to 1,3-million tonnes.
Thomas Baunsgaard, the IMF representative in Malawi, told a news conference that the IMF, the government, the World Bank and international donors are discussing how much money is needed and how to fund the request.
Opposition politicians and civil society organisations have called on the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika to declare the food crisis a national disaster.
The IMF, which suspended aid to Malawi three years ago because of concerns about government spending, asked the government in April to conduct a crop assessment. It expressed concern about the impact of drought on agricultural output and on the country’s budget.
Baunsgaard said the assessment confirmed that the country has a food shortage.
Food security is a continuing problem in Malawi where an estimated 60% of rural households are unable to meet nutritional needs. More than 60% of Malawians live on less than one US dollar a day. – Sapa-AP