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
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur
Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.
2
1
2
Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN
Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
The world’s water resources face growing pressure from climate change while emergencies related to the vital resource are increasingly impacting lives and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: Thirsty and starving, war-battered families face ‘inhumane’ evacuation
As bombs continue to fall on Gaza City as part of the intensifying Israeli military operation, families with starving children are being pushed southwards from one “hellscape” to another, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
New UN Human Rights report finds 10 years of increased suffering repression and fear
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2014.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNICEF , UNHCR
The ongoing humanitarian response to the devastating Afghanistan earthquake disaster continued on Friday, although essential services have been cut for operational reasons following reinforced Taliban restrictions on women working with the UN, the global body said.