2nd LD Writethru: Malawi president declares national disaster due to El Nino

Malawi President Peter Mutharika has declared a state of national disaster following a food shortage caused by strong El Nino conditions.

Mutharika appealed for humanitarian support from countries, organizations and well wishers, saying that following the dry spell, the country has registered a drop in food production.

The production of Mozambique's major food staple maize has declined by 12.4 percent, and drought and floods has left 17 percent of the country's population in dire need of food.

"With the increased maize deficit, it is expected that an increased number of people will be food insecure and will require humanitarian relief assistance for the whole 2016/17 consumption year," said Mutharika in a statement.

He added: "Considering the magnitude of the projected maize production deficit, and the resultant food insecurity that the country will face, there is need to re-stock the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) with about 250,000mt as buffer stock during the season."

Mutharika said projections showed that the country's designated agro-marketing body, the Agricultural Development and Marketing Commission (ADMARC), would require a total of 250,000 metric tons of maize to sell to the general public and effectively stabilize maize prices in the 2016/2017 season.

He stressed that due to the partial or complete loss of crops through El Nino induced dry spells, the affected population would require about 790,000 metric tons of relief food.

A total maize requirement of 1,290,000 metric tons is projected to avert a food crisis in the season, according to Mutharika.

While appreciating the assistance the country has been receiving following the president's last appeal for humanitarian support, Mutharika has appealed for more support. Endit