Human rights activist and chairperson of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), Gift Trapence, says 2023 was the most painful year for Malawians, citing food insecurity, which was exacerbated by the 2023 Tropical Cyclone Freddy disaster.
Trapence pleaded with the government to take immediate action, ensuring sufficient maize stocks in ADMARC depots across the country at reasonable prices, especially during the lean period from January to March.
In its end of the year statement, HRDC says the specter of hunger looms large over Malawi, amplified by the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in 2022 and challenges in the management of the Affordable Input Program (AIP).
Cyclone Freddy, which also hit Mozambique and Madagascar, killed hundreds of people and displaced more than 650,000 people. The cyclone washed away 179,000 hectares of crop fields in southern Malawi.
Trapence said the high demand for maize in the market, coupled with skyrocketing prices, paints a grim picture of the current food situation.
He recommended that the government should prioritize immediate and comprehensive measures to address food insecurity.
“The period from January to March, traditionally the leanest in the country, requires proactive steps to ensure that ADMARC, and other relevant institutions, have sufficient maize reserves accessible to the public at reasonable prices,” reads the statement in part.
The coalition has further urged the Tonse government to collaborate with stakeholders to formulate and implement strategies that guarantee food security for all Malawians, stressing that timely and effective interventions are crucial to mitigating the impact of the current crisis and preventing future occurrences.
Mid 2023, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs in Malawi (DoDMA) disclosed that the hunger response effort would cost Malawi about $226 million.
This prompted President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera to direct his government machinery to distribute free maize and cash to more than four million people facing food shortages largely because of the impact of Cyclone Freddy, which washed away thousands of hectares of crops in March.
The actual distribution of the relief food and monetary support to the survivors began in October 2023 following a recent report that said the situation would worsen until the next harvesting season in March 2024.
