The United Nations has launched an appeal for $88-million to help 4,2-million people threatened by hunger in Malawi amid a general warning about looming shortages elsewhere in Southern Africa.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said funding shortfalls of $187-million mean that only a fraction of those needing food aid in countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe will receive it.
”The warning signs are already clear,” said Mike Sackett, WFP Southern Africa director, in the statement issued in Johannesburg.
”Massive international assistance is needed, but we simply cannot respond in time unless we get immediate donations,” Sackett said. ”By raising the alarm now, we are hoping that the international community will help us to reach millions of the hungry — before they become the continent’s next group of starving.”
The UN made similar and repeated appeals for West Africa, but the world did not respond until the situation reached the crisis point in countries like Niger. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan wants to avoid the same mistake in Southern Africa and has written to donor governments asking for funding to ”avert a catastrophe”.
The WFP says it is especially concerned that prices are rising dramatically well ahead of the traditional ”lean season” from December to the March harvest, meaning that people simply cannot afford to buy the food and have used up all their reserves. The crisis is compounded by the impact of the HIV/Aids epidemic.
The agency said Malawi is one of the hardest-hit countries in the region, with little more than half of the 2,2-million tonnes of maize needed for national consumption produced.
The average price of maize across 15 markets in southern Malawi rose by nearly 50% between April and July, with one market recording a sharp hike of 71%. In central Malawi, maize prices rose by an average of 21% during the same period.
Central and southern Malawi have been hardest hit by food shortages.
The WFP had planned to feed 1,6-million of the most vulnerable people at the height of the lean season in Malawi. However, because many already cannot afford maize, the WFP now plans to assist two million people. The agency will offer increased assistance, if necessary, upon government request.
The WFP said maize prices in Mozambique are mounting rapidly because of poor harvests. The outlook for the next harvest is bleak, with river levels at their lowest in two years.
The organisation said it is only able to provide food assistance to about 35% of vulnerable people in southern Zambia because of a lack of funding.
In Zimbabwe, it said prices of basic commodities are beyond the reach of most vulnerable households. The agency wants to expand its feeding programmes by about three million people. — Sapa-AP