- Title: MALAWI: Lack of rain sparks fears of prolonged drought
- Date: 10th March 2009
- Summary: CHIKWAWA, MALAWI (RECENT - MARCH 03, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DRY FIELDS (SOUNDBITE) (Chichewa) TSOKA MCHIKUMBA, FARMER, SAYING: "The rains started very well in the early months. But later the rains stopped. Now we are experiencing a dry spell. All the maize has been affected." VARIOUS OF A VILLAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Chichewa) MALIYASI PANGANI, MAIZE FARMER, SAYING: "This granary used to be full of maize and maize was also stored in bags. But with the lack of rain, we really do not expect anything to be stored in there until next year." VARIOUS OF COMMUNITY LEADERS DISCUSSING LACK OF RAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Chichewa) FRYTON BINTU, COMMUNITY LEADER, SAYING: "To be frank with you, we are in trouble, ask any of the chiefs here. I have consulted my fellow village heads around the district and the situation is really bad. If you ask any chief around, the story is the same. Crops like cotton which are resistant to this kind of situation are also drying up. We also plant millet alongside maize but all that has dried up now." DRY FIELDS OF MAIZE (SOUNDBITE) (Chichewa) FRYTON BINTU, COMMUNITY LEADER, SAYING: "If the situation is not dealt with immediately, and if the government does not come in fast, then we should expect people to die just like they did from 2001 to 2005. We need the government to act now." VARIOUS OF CHIKWAWA DISTRICT OFFICER, LAWFORD PALANI, IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAWFORD PALANI, CHIKWAWA DISTRICT COMMISSIONER, SAYING: "We are mainly worried as a district that we rely much on the maize that people grow so that they get food. So we are in a desperate situation because with the dry spell, it means all the maize has been wilted. So, we are in problems." DRY MAIZE FIELDS
- Embargoed: 25th March 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Malawi
- Country: Malawi
- Topics: Weather
- Reuters ID: LVADOW8PA4N0V959A98KJKFRLG2J
- Story Text: Lack of rain in southern Malawi has sparked fears among farmers and community leaders that millions of people will soon face hunger as their crops of maize, the staple, die.
Malawi had won praise for its subsidy programme that allowed farmers to access inputs like fertilizer and record bumper harvests on the heels of a devastating drought in 2005.
The country has also for a long time been operating a Crop Insurance Scheme under which companies buy maize with an undertaking that in case of a shortage, government would buy the maize at a price that the company in question purchased it.
"The rains started very well in the early months. But later the rains stopped. Now we are experiencing a dry spell. All the maize has been affected," said Tsoka Mchikumba, a farmer in the southern Chikwawa district.
Malawi, one of the poorest nations in the world, started rationing the sale of maize last year following a report in parliament that the country's stocks were dwindling as heavy flooding wiped out many crops.
This year, farmers are contending with a lack of water to nourish their fields and fill their granaries.
"This granary used to be full of maize and maize was also stored in bags. But with the lack of rain, we really do not expect anything to be stored in there until next year," added Maliyasi Pangani, another Chikwawa farmer.
U.N. agencies in Malawi had already warned last year that a million or more people would need food aid.
"To be frank with you, we are in trouble, ask any of the chiefs here. I have consulted my fellow village heads around the district and the situation is really bad. If you ask any chief around, the story is the same.
Crops like cotton which are resistant to this kind of situation are also drying up. We also plant millet alongside maize but all that has dried up now," said Fryton Bintu, a community leader.
"If the situation is not dealt with immediately, and if the government does not come in fast, then we should expect people to die just like they did from 2001 to 2005. We need the government to act now,"
Bintu continued.
Malawi's economy is largely dependent on agriculture.
Last year, the country and the World Bank was planning a crop insurance scheme against adverse weather .
Under the scheme, the country will have its crops insured against the effects of climate change, but it may not be implemented in time to save farmers in districts like Chikwawa.
"We are mainly worried as a district that we rely much on the maize that people grow so that they get food. So we are in a desperate situation because with the dry spell , it means all the maize has been wilted.
So, we are in problems," said Lawford Palani, Chikwawa's district commissioner.
Malawi's maize crop estimate for the 2008/9 season went down to 2.9 million tonnes from the last 3.2 million, with agriculture experts saying floods and a four week drought in some parts of the country contributed in the drop. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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