United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has found that half of Malawians are living on less than a dollar a day, a situation the organisation claims to have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. WFP argues that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is pushing the cost of living in Malawi where the price of bread has doubled because of the war.
The organisation says the situation is pushing about 9 million of Malawians to the blink of hunger. The organisation claims to have undertaken an analysis which established that cost of basic necessities like cooking oil has increased with over 300% within the 2 years of President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration.
However, it says the Russian invasion of Ukraine has worsened the situation in the Southern African country.
“WFP is seriously concerned about the souring food prices that are pushing poor to the blink of hunger in Malawi. WFP assessment has found that these challenges are now further exacerbated by the effect of the Ukraine crisis. Half of Malawians are already living in poverty, on less than US$2 (2 thousand Kwacha) a day. The price of bread has increased by 50 per cent in the last 3 months”, said WFP’s Global Spokesperson, Tomson Phiri.
The spokesperson claimed that the interviews the organisation held with bakery owners in Malawi established that the prices of wheat has nearly doubled since the onset of the Ukraine war. The organisation claims that the removal of value added tax on some commodities has not curtailed the price increase.
The WFP says it needs US$6.3 million (about 6.3 billion Malawi Kwacha) to feed poor Malawians.
“We need US$2.9 million (about 3 billion Kwacha) now to be able to provide 22,500 families who were affected by floods with assistance. We also need an additional US$3.4 million (about 3.4 billion Kwacha) to continue providing vital food assistance to refugees and asylum seekers”, WFP pleaded.
WFP is a UN agency and one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations.
Rising costs hit those left most vulnerable the hardest.
Half of Malawians are already living on less than $2 a day while basic items like cooking oil have risen over 300% in less than two years. Now the war in #Ukraine is pushing prices even higher.@PhiriTomson explains👇 pic.twitter.com/1azupozYEg
— World Food Programme (@WFP) May 30, 2022
