Malawi: Vice President Dr. Michael Bizwick Usi has reassured communities in Mangochi of the government’s commitment to provide relief maize items. The donation is made under the lean season food insecurity response programme to every deserving citizen.
The aim on the donation is to alleviate shortage of food in the district.
Vice President Dr. Dr. Michael Bizwick was speaking during his monitoring visit to the distribution exercise of the relief maize items. The dnation was being made in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Chimwala in Mangochi on Monday.
He said that his engagement with communities in Mangochi reflects government commitment to citizen welfare as well as grassroots development.
‘‘I am here in Traditional Authority Chimwala in Mangochi today, following a request by Member of Parliament for this area, for me to interact with communities, and as such, let me commend the MP, because, despite our differences in politics, we were appointed to serve our society.’’
‘‘I am here to witness the distribution exercise, so that I should have first hand information as to how the exercise is going on in Mangochi, but, also to reassure Malawians here that every deserving citizen will receive the relief maize items,” said Dr. Michael Bizwick .
He also promised that the government is doing its best to ensure that farmers should receive farm inputs under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP), in order for them to prepare for this year’s growing season, and to increase their agricultural productivity and food security.
About 123,433 households in Mangochi are expected to receive relief maize items, a 50 bag of maize per households, for three consecutive times, an exercise which already started early this month.
According to the Acting District Commissioner (DC) for Mangochi, Bissaih Mtayamanja, 45,133 households have already received the first consignment of the relieve maize in Mangochi, representing 37 percent of households that are expected to receive, and that the rest will receive in the next few weeks.
Commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) Charles Kalemba spoke a the event. He said that they are currently targeting communities in hard-to-reach areas such as Makanjira and Lulanga, where the relief items will be delivered by the use of the ship through the water.
‘‘In terms of the relief maize for Mangochi, we have enough stock, and it is very close at Liwonde, and our main focus now are communities in hard to reach areas. So far, we have sourced a ship from the fisheries department, as well as vehicles from the World Food Programme, that will be used to deliver the items to such areas,” he said.
He said that about 5.7 million Malawians are expected to receive the relief maize items across the country, others for a period of three months while others for six months.
Other delegates who also spoke at the event included Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mangochi Nkungulu Constituency, who is also Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Aisha Mambo Adams, as well as Senior Chief Chimwala, and they commended government for its tireless efforts in uplifting livelihoods of communities in the district.