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.
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| 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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