Maravi

Govt asked to act as hunger ravages some rural areas

Govt asked to act as hunger ravages some rural areas
November 12, 2008

A Kitwe based politician has called on government to quickly take measures to reduce prices of commodities, such as mealie meal. Kalumbwa Kaputo says the prices of fuel, mealie meal and other foodstuffs have continued to rise. He says there is need for quick response from government to address the situation. Mr Kaputo was speaking to ZNBC news in an interview. He said President, Rupiah Banda, and his cabinet should act decisively to ensure most commodities are affordable.

Meanwhile a civic leader in Choma, whose remote ward has been hit by severe hunger, has claimed that people have resorted to surviving on wild roots and raw Masuku fruit as the only alternative.

Kauba ward councillor, Harry Hamuntanga, said the hunger situation in the hilly area of chief Moyo has reached alarming proportion, and warned of imminent starvation is there is no prompt government intervention.

Mr Hamuntanga told ZANIS in Choma that children have been the worst victims of hunger with most of them exhibiting signs of malnutrition.

Officials from the World Food Programme (WFP), who paid a courtesy call on the district administration in Choma, announced that relief food would be distributed only to 9 wards out of the 27 wards in the district.

But Mr Hamuntanga, whose ward is located in Pemba constituency, wondered what would happen to the rest of the wards that have left out of the distribution programme.

He said the sky-rocketing price of mealie meal and maize makes it impossible for villagers to buy food.

Mr Hamuntanga called upon government to move in quickly and address the hunger situation.

District Commissioner, Laiven Apuleni, last week told ZANIS that the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit was making frantic efforts to deliver 300 metric ton of relief maize to the district.

Pupils at most schools in Mungwi have abandoned classes in preference to collecting caterpillars in the forests.

And education authorities in the district have recorded a high number of pupil absenteeism during the just-ended grade 7 final examinations.

A check at various schools in the township by ZANIS found very few pupils attending lessons while many of them were out harvesting caterpillars.

And some teachers talked to said the practice has been going on for the past two weeks now.

The pupils are said to have been enticed into collecting caterpillars because of the bread and other essential commodities that traders were offering in exchange with the insects.

The harvesting of the wild, season caterpillars has also affected other social aspects as men and women have abandoned their homes in order to catch caterpillars for economic reasons.

Currently, traders from other parts of the country, especially from the Copperbelt, have invaded Mungwi and have set-up camps in various villages where they are exchanging goods with caterpillars from the locals.

ZANIS/ENDS/WS/EB

Labels: CHIEF MOYO, HUNGER, INFLATION

posted by MrK @ 9:47 AM