The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Food price hikes push the poor to the brink of hunger in Malawi, warns WFP.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is seriously concerned about the soaring food prices that are pushing the poor to the brink of hunger in the landlocked Southern African country. With nearly 400,000 Malawians already food insecure due to floods and droughts and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, “Malawi’s challenges are now further exacerbated by the effects of the Ukraine crisis” said WFP Spokesperson Tomson Phiri today, in a press briefing in Geneva.
Fifty percent of the Malawian population is already living in poverty, on less than USD 2 a day, prior to these price hikes. The disruption of global key cereals supplies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February is pushing up fuel, fertilizer, and food prices globally, hitting hard the most vulnerable populations. “The price of bread has increased by 50 percent in the last three months”, emphasized Mr Phiri, “interviews with bakery owners reveal that the retail price of a 50kg bag of wheat flour has risen by 42 percent since the onset of the Ukraine crisis.”
WFP is partnering with the Government of Malawi to address the dire situation, including emergency food assistance and cash-based transfers, nutritional support, supply chain and logistics initiatives, and resilience-building. In an intent to reduce the impact of inflation, Tomson Phiri explained the Government of Malawi removed the Value Added Tax (VAT) on some of its commodities since 01 April, but “prices for commodities such as cooking oil, have increased by over 300% since November 2020,” he pointed out.
Food insecurity is endemic in Malawi, affecting up to 38% of the population every year in the run-up to the harvest in April. On average, the WFP assists 1.5 million people each year in Malawi. The agency was forced to reduce assistance to the 400’000 people in need of food last year due to climate shocks, by providing 75 percent of a normal ration size. Similarly, 46,000 refugees have been receiving 50 to 75 percent ration since May 2019. In order to reduce the funding gap, Tomson Phiri said “we need USD 2.9 million now, to be able to provide about 22’500 families affected by floods, for three months. We also need an additional USD 3.4 million to continue providing food assistance to 48’000 refugees and asylum seekers at a full food ration” from August to December 2022.
The fragile country of 19 million remains one of the poorest countries in the world despite making significant economic and structural reforms to sustain economic growth (World Bank).
ends
-
- Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva.
- Cutaway: Wide shot, Press room, UN Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP): “United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is seriously concerned about the soaring food prices pushing the poor to the brink of hunger in Malawi.”
- Cutaway: medium shot journalists taking notes
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP): “WFP assessment has found that these challenges are now further exacerbated by the effects of the Ukraine Crisis. 50 percent of Malawi’s population is already living in poverty, on less than USD2 a day, prior even to these price hikes.”
- Cutaway: close lateral shot of Mr Phiri
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP): “The price of bread has increased by 50 percent in the last three months. Interviews with bakery owners reveal that the retail price of a 50kg bag of wheat flour has risen by 42 percent since the onset of the Ukraine crisis.”
- Cutaway: close shot of hands typing on keyboard
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP): “the Government of Malawi has removed the Value Added Tax (VAT) on some of his commodities since 01 April. But prices for commodities such as cooking oil, have increased by over 300% since November 2020”.
- Cutaway: close shot journalists in the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, Spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP): “We need USD 2.9 million now, to be able to provide about 22’500 families who are affected by floods with assistance. We also need an additional USD 3.4 million to continue providing vital food assistance in the form of unconditional cash to refugees and asylum seekers at a full food ration.”
- Various: medium lateral shot of speakers at podium
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
At least six million people in Somalia are going days without enough food, UN aid teams warned on Friday, highlighting that nearly two million of this number are young children “at high risk of illness or death”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
Children shot, stabbed and pepper-sprayed in occupied West Bank; scores of Gaza amputees denied prosthetics, aid teams warn
Israeli military operations and surging settler attacks in the occupied West Bank are killing and maiming Palestinian children, while in Gaza tens of thousands with life-changing injuries lack access to treatment and rehabilitation, UN agencies warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The risk of hantavirus spreading to the general population is “absolutely low”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , IFRC
Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Deadly hantavirus on board cruise ship may be transmitted among humans - WHO
Hantavirus victims on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected prior to joining the cruise and human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out – although it is rare - the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN rights chief concerned by upheld convictions of Cambodian activists.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , OHCHR
Middle East crisis puts aid, food, fuel further out of reach for millions already struggling – UN agencies
As the Middle East crisis continues the humanitarian fallout is worsening, with aid route disruptions and food and fuel price hikes wrecking the lives and rights of the most vulnerable, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNMAS
Demining experts from around the world have been sharing their collective shock at the widespread and growing threat from unexploded ordnance, the new head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office in Syria conducted a 5-day visit to the northeast of the country where they received accounts of human rights violations and abuses.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Sudan: ‘History repeating itself’ for Darfur’s children - UNICEF
Mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur 20 years ago reverberated as far as Hollywood, but today, a new generation of children faces attacks, hunger and displacement in an emergency largely ignored by the outside world, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNMAS
Desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hamper recovery efforts for the wartorn enclave's people, the UN health agency said on Friday, while demining experts warned that they’ve “barely scratched the surface” in assessing the level of contamination of unexploded ordnance.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News
The continued support of UN Member States to Lebanon will be “indispensable” to boost the country’s national armed forces and provide humanitarian assistance with more than one million people still uprooted by the Middle East war, the UN's peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday.