Malawi President Mutharika Honored for Food Security Polices. | Voice of America - English
Malawi?s president has been honored for his achievements in food security. The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) has given President Bingu wa Mutharika the first Food Policy Leadership Award for transforming the country from food importer to food exporter.
The head of thenetwork?s board of directors, Sindiso Ngwenya, said the success of PresidentMutharika?s food security policies speaks for itself. He said the subsidiesprogram for fertilizers and seeds has enabled the country to feed not only itself, but also its neighbors. Mr. Mutharika alsoserves as Malawi?s minister of agriculture and food security. In an address tothe nation, he said the award was not for himself alone but for all the peopleof Malawi: ?I am saying thisbecause you can have a bag of fertilizer but on its own can not grow maize. Youcan have good rains; if the rains can come and go there will not be maize ifthe people don?t stand up and work hard. And I like to believe that Malawians,you all worked very hard to make sure that we produce what we have. So I amproud to lead the nation of achievers,? he said. PresidentMutharika?s efforts have not always enjoyed wide support. The United States andBritain strongly opposed the program. The two countries had refused to fund it. It was created to mitigate one of the worst droughts in a decade? a disaster that left nearly half of the population without food. But Mr.Mutharika insisted, saying the government used its own money for the effort. Theprogram led to a drop in the price of fertilizers from around US$27 for a 50kgbag to about $7. As aresult, maize production more than doubled 2005 to 2006 ? and rose sharplyagain in 2007, leading to a surplus of more than one million metric tons. The bumperharvest also benefited neighboring countries. Malawi officially exported 40,000metric tons of maize to Zimbabwe by the end of last December. It also donatedfive thousand metric tons of maize each to Lesotho and Swaziland. President Mutharikasays he has confidence in the program: ?I would like toassure you that a program of subsidy and food security will continue. Malawiwill go from strength to strength in providing food for all at affordableprices.? In July he announced a20 percent reduction in the cost of fertilizers. Agriculturistscite other reasons for the success in boosting agriculture. Mac Leans Makwinja is the crop specialist inthe Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. He says, ?Farmers have realized the importance of adopting modernfarming techniques. For example, we are advocating the one-one-planting ofmaize which most farmers have discovered that it is very good method ofplanting maize." Themethod allows farmers to grow one seed per hole instead of three seeds, whichis the standard. This, he says eliminates competition for nutrients among theseeds. Healso says the ministry has been encouraging farmers to use manure and to plantimproved maize varieties that yield more than the local ones. The annual Food PolicyLeadership award was established earlier this year. It has no cash prizes butincludes, among other things, a trophy, a signed certificate and some prizesdonated by FANRPAN partners.