Friday 12 June 2015

Hunger In Nsanje District; People Eating Water Lily ‘Nyika’ says MP


The Malawi National Assembly was shocked Thursday evening when legislature for Nsanje South West constituency showed the house what majority of people in his area are eating for survival, the area is facing shortage of staple food ‘maize’.



Hon Joseph Chidanti Malunga showed the house a bunch of aquatic plant ‘water lily tubers’ and said such are types of foods that people in his constituency are surviving on due to hunger which has hit the area following the past drought and floods.


Hon Chidanti Malunga
The Parliamentarian was making his constituency statement during Thursday’s Private Members Day where he emphasized that there is no more “looming hunger”in his constituency but now “hunger is here”


“We need to know where we are with the maize purchase.” He demanded, “We need to know if we have started purchasing and how long shall we wait while eating this before it gets to ADMARC markets” he told the house as he asks those charged with responsibility to answer the question.


He said Nsanje South West hunger situation has changed from looming to reality, quicker than the rest of disaster areas due serious problem caused by two ecological zones which are subject to agricultural activities. He said this year the area faced both floods and drought, a combination of the two have reduced crop yields.


He then said Nsanje South West Constituency requires immediate food assistance and that government should respond as soon as possible.


However, Leader of House Hon Francis Lazaro Kasaila said the nation has enough stock of grain reserve in all storage facilities remarks which did not go well with Leader for Peoples Party in the National Assembly Hon Ulladi Mussa who said the leader of house was out of order to say that maize is available at Grain reserve yet people are suffering. He demanded that that maize be available to people of Nsanje


But speaking in an interview, hon. Chidanti said “The problem is probably in the whole of Nsanje” but noted that he could not speak for the whole Nsanje district“I was just speaking for a small part of Nsanje which is my constituency Nsanje South West but the truth is that the situation is the same everywhere else” he said


“We are in a very critical condition; there is no food and there is no maize in ADMARC market depot.” He said refereeing to two ADMARC market depots in his area of Nsanje Mbenje and Ng’oma.


He said the development has worsened situation as those that have money to afford maize have joined others to flock to the streams and swamps in search for “things that they can eat”then said ‘water lily’ locally known as Nyika is the hottest food now.


“I know government has not abandoned us but I am just to reporting this development to government to do more on saving the people of Nsanje” he saidwhile maintaining that the money that was approved by the National Assembly to buy maize should trickle down to people of Nsanje.


“People are suffering right now and we don’t want them to suffer forever and be eating the stuff that I showed in the parliament” he said


“I think this is a wake-up call that something quickly must be done” he added


The financial year of 2015/2016 budget to be approved in this session has the amount of K133.7 billion allocation to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water development which part of it will be for maize purchase and that the a US $80 million Loan Authorization bill has been passed by the National Assembly on the same course.


“I have two suggestions” said Hon Chidanti regarding the money to be for the food purchase, “Firstly, we have to make sure that the ADMARC markets have enough maize to enable those that have money to buy the maize and that secondly, the most vulnerable be given free maize.”

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