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President Peter Mutharika has declared a State of Disaster in 11 of the country’s 28 districts that are facing serious food insecurity as a result of a prolonged dry spell. In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by Chief Secretary Justin Saidi, government has appealed to local and international support for the affected families. Reads the statement in part: “The President of the Republic of Malawi, has noted with grave concern the impact of food insecurity as a result of cumulative impacts of prolonged dry spells, high commodity prices and other macroeconomic as highlighted by the recently released Food Situation Report by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee. “In view of this, His Excellency has exercised the powers vested in him under Section 37 (1) of the Disaster Risk Management Act (2023) and declared a State of disaster in the affected areas.” The State of Disaster declaration comes barely two weeks after a Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) report indicated that about four million people are at risk of hunger during the 2025/26 consumption period, representing 22 percent of the country’s projected population of 18.5 million. Government has indicated that it is facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected districts, while intensifying irrigation farming and other interventions to address the situation. In an interview yesterday, Commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) Wilson Moleni said the department has developed the 2025/26 Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Plan. He said government will on Saturday, November 1, launch the distribution of free maize and cash to over four million people facing food shortages in response to a recent Mvac report which indicated that the situation is expected to worsen until the next harvest season in March 2026. Said Moleni: “The declaration gives us an opportunity to start working in areas that are in dire need and the nation in general. The response will not only target the declared districts but all districts depending on the severity of hunger as indicated in the Mvac report. “The affected people will receive food assistance and cash through the Social Cash Transfer Programme to be implemented by the government and our partners.” He said the 11 districts declared as disaster areas have about 20 percent of their populations food insecure, adding that the declaration will open doors for more partners to help. The affected districts are Blantyre, Chikwawa, Lilongwe, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Phalombe, Salima and Thyolo. Neno District is the worst hit with 35 percent of its population food insecure, followed by Thyolo and Mulanje at 30 percent each, Chikwawa and Lilongwe at 25 percent, while the rest of the districts are at around 20–24 percent. Meanwhile, Centre for Social Concern project officer Agnes Nyirongo called on the government to prepare adequately to avoid declaring yet another State of Disaster next year. In an interview, she tipped government to consider supplying drought resistant and early maturing seed varieties as it provides farm inputs. Said Nyirongo: “This is essential because in recent years, Malawi has struggled with the effects of climate change. Preparing well in advance is a step in the right direction.” According to the Mvac report, the vulnerable population would require humanitarian food assistance amounting to roughly 200 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize, estimated at K387.20 billion, for a period ranging between three and six months.
