$88m appeal for Malawi
2005-08-30 13:26
Geneva - The United Nations on Tuesday launched an $88m appeal to help Malawi tackle a food crisis which is threatening a third of the African nation's people.
About 4.2 million Malawians are in dire need of food aid after the worst harvest in more than a decade, fuelled by drought, the UN said.
The production of maize, the main staple food, has plunged to half what is needed to feed the country, the UN noted.
Maize prices in some areas of Malawi have risen by 50%, making life even tougher for people hit by hunger, aid officials said.
The funds are needed both to provide emergency relief as well as help small farmers prepare for next year's harvest, said officials.
"This is a question of giving money now to have a harvest, or at least an improved situation, in March 2006," said Elizabeth Byrs, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Aid agencies have chided donor governments for reacting too late to other food crises, notably in Niger, in West Africa, where a sluggish response has meant that even more funds are needed now than at the outset.
The twin-track aid programme in Malawi has been devised by the country's government, aid officials noted.
"This is an unprecedented opportunity for the international community to assist a responsible African government that is trying to deal with its own problems," said Simon Pluess, spokesman for the World Food Programme.