Malawi's President Peter Mutharika declared a national disaster after a
severe drought ravaged the southern African nation and appealed for 1.2
million tonnes of maize to plug a looming deficit of the staple. PHOTO |
FILE
By Reuters
In Summary
Malawi's President Peter Mutharika declared a national
disaster after a severe drought ravaged the southern African nation and
appealed for 1.2 million tonnes of maize to plug a looming deficit of
the staple.
Mutharika said Malawi faces a maize deficit of 1.072 million
metric tonnes in the 2015/16 (December-March) growing season,
representing a decline of over 12 per cent compared to prior season.
A drought in the region, exacerbated by an El Nino weather
pattern, has scorched maize fields and placed about 16 million people at
risk of hunger, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said in
March.
Agriculture is Malawi's mainstay, accounting for a third of the
economy and providing livelihoods for 80 per cent of the population of
about 15 million people.
Estimates of maize production taken between mid-February and
March pegged the output at 2.431 million tonnes from 2.776 million
tonnes in the previous season, the president said late on Tuesday.
Malawi's maize requirement for human consumption, seed, stock feed and industrial use stands at 3.205 million tonnes, he said.
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