'Rather help the farmers farm'
2005-08-02 14:38
Blantyre - The United Nations has urged donors to boost financial support to Malawian farmers whose country is battling the worst food crisis since 1992.
"It's much cheaper for donors to help the poorest of farmers grow their own food than constantly go about running looking for food aid," Jeffrey Sachs, special advisor to the UN secretary-general, said on Monday after a three-day visit to Malawi.
The envoy met President Bingu wa Mutharika in the former capital city Zomba in the south on Monday, saying they discussed several issues including the food crisis.
"This country needs help - a significant amount of aid. This is the time and donors should think ahead if Malawi is to have a good harvest next year," said Sachs who was accompanied by Pedro Sanchez, co-chair of the millenium development project's task force on hunger and a group of senior UN officials and academics.
Dramatic decrease in maize production
Up to 4.2 million Malawians are facing hunger - the worst food crisis since 1992 - due to drought that sent maize production, the main staple food, plummeting by 24% this year, according to the government and UN World Food Programme (WFP).
"Farmers need critical inputs such as seed and fertiliser inputs, agricultural extension and water management to grow a lot of their own food," he said.
Sachs said farmers in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, were "too poor to access inputs on their own and donors need to help them to grow their own food - food aid is very expensive".
Some 80% of the 11 million population rely on subsistence farming to eke out a living.
Malawi plans to import 300 000 tons of staple worth $50m from South Africa to avert famine this year.