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 | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Sudan: The harrowing reality of giving birth in a war zone
Sudanese women about to give birth are losing their babies and sometimes their own lives because of a lack of specialist healthcare support, amid the ongoing war, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Colombia earthquake: International teams ready to support, says UN
As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got” if and when the request came from the authorities.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Tuesday.
1
6
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
In a new twist on panda diplomacy, UN Geneva welcomed five young peacocks to the Palace of Nations on Friday, a gift of India that preserves a tradition of keeping the stately birds in the grounds, that predates both the global body and its ill-fated predecessor, the League of Nations.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Afghanistan’s hunger crisis intensifies as millions go without food aid – WFP
Afghanistan’s dire hunger crisis now affects 14 million people including babies fed on weak tea and a little bread by their despairing and dirt-poor parents.
In a new alert on Tuesday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that one in three Afghans is now in the grip of acute food insecurity and that it lacks the resources to contain the deepening crisis.
1
1
2
Edited News | IOM
From fake jobs to forced crime: IOM sounds alarm on human trafficking behind online scams
A job offer can conceal a criminal network and a single click can lead to a nightmare. Lured by false promises of legitimate employment abroad, hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked each year, held captive and forced to carry out online scams.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons marked on 30 July, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is raising the alarm over a rapidly expanding multibillion-dollar criminal industry that turns job seekers into victims of forced cybercrime.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.