§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much food aid(a) her Department and (b) the EU has provided to Malawi in the last six months. [54252]
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§ Clare ShortSince January, my Department has spent £4.6 million on direct food relief in Malawi. In addition, DFID approved £1.2 million on 26 April to help raise domestic food production over the winter season. The latter is expected to yield 75,000 metric tonnes of maize by September.
The EC has provided £0.3 million in direct food relief.
§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what further help she will give to Malawi to alleviate its famine. [55001]
§ Clare ShortSince January, we have spent £4.6 million on direct food relief in Malawi. At the end of April we released a further £1.2 million to help raise domestic food production over the winter season (expected to yield 75,000 metric tonnes of maize by September). A much larger programme to boost domestic food production, and timed to coincide with November rains, is in preparation.
We have also worked hard with other donors to help the Government of Malawi to develop a long-term national food security strategy. A working group made up of donors, government, civil society and the private sector is urgently considering how to improve food production, storage and marketing, all with the aims of preventing a recurrence of the current crisis.