Over 1million Malawians will not be able to meet their annual food requirement during the 2019 to 2020 consumption period, a report released on Thursday warns.
The figure represents 7per cent of the total population.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment (MVAC) report released in the capital Lilongwe reveals that the affected population decreased from 3.3million in the last period of 2018/19.
“The decrease has been as a result of increased agriculture production due to favourable weather despite instances of flooding, dry spells and armyworms infestation in some parts of the country,” it says.
The report adds that total humanitarian maize (country’s staple food) that is required to support the affected population is estimated at 33,810 metric tonnes (mt), pulses at 6,762 mt and 1244 mt vegetable oil.
It further states that the government and its development partners will be implementing response interventions to assist the affected population.
MVAC assesses food security annually to determine the number of people who are likely to be food insecure.
FT/as/APA