Malawi has started selling much-needed maize to Zimbabwe under an export agreement which includes a US$10 million line of credit.
"We have already exported 90,000 metric tonnes (mt) within the past two and a half months," Patrick Kabambe, Malawi's Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Food Security, told IRIN. "We have received some payments for the maize that has been sent".
Malawi's agriculture sector has had a second successive bumper harvest, making an almost complete recovery from a drought in 2005 that left close to five million people in need of food aid.
This year's maize crop has seen a 22 percent increase over last year's: 73 percent higher than the average for the past five years, according to government estimates. On the other end of the scale, Zimbabwe's economy is struggling with an inflation rate of about 4,000 percent, food and foreign currency shortages.
Zimbabwe's maize order has been urgent. "The Zimbabwean government wanted us to supply at least 100,000mt every month; we told them it was not possible in terms of logistics - processing, fumigation etc," said Kabambe.
What remains uncertain is how Zimbabwe's crippling fuel crisis will affect the distribution of the maize once it is inside the country. Aid workers have also voiced concern of the potential "politicisation" of food stocks.
The sale could not have come at a better time for Malawian farmers.
"It has helped push the prices up and benefited the farmers," Kabambe commented, but was unable to say by how much. "The price could vary from supplier to supplier; besides, transport costs from various parts of Malawi would be different, but we are not selling it at a loss - the price has not been subsidised for Zimbabwe."
The Malawi office of the UK-based development agency, Oxfam, recently pointed out that Malawi's maize market was deflating, and about a month ago the staple food had been available for less than 10 US cents per kg in some parts of the country.
Malawi requires around two million mt of maize annually to feed its 12 million people. In 2006 it had a surplus of about 500,000mt and this year there is a surplus of about 1.5 million mt. The high yield has been attributed to a fertiliser subsidy programme and good rainfall.
According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Food Programme, domestic cereal availability in Zimbabwe is expected to be around 1.29 million mt at the end of October, against a total national utilisation of 2.34 million mt - requiring over a million mt to be imported.
In a recent statement the UN agencies noted that Zimbabwe is expected to import a further 239,000mt of wheat and rice, despite the low level of its foreign reserves and receiving the 400,000mt of maize from Malawi.
In addition, an estimated 61,000mt of maize could be brought into the country by informal cross-border trade and in-kind remittances, especially from South Africa, leaving a gap of 352,000mt of cereals to be met by food aid, the two agencies said.
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Executive pledges £250,000 to aid the crisis in Darfur
THE new SNP government is expanding the reach and scope of the Executive's international aid fund by committing £250,000 to ease the plight of those suffering in Darfur in east Africa, it emerged yesterday.
Jack McConnell, the former First Minister, set up a fund of £4.5 million for international development during his time in office, most of which was allocated to charities in Malawi, which is now twinned with Scotland.
Mr McConnell believed that the best way to make an impact was to concentrate much of the Executive's very limited resources in one country.
Now, however, Alex Salmond has changed the emphasis. He has promised to double the size of the fund to £9 million in the new spending round, which will be announced in November, and he has decided to spread the Executive's resources more widely.
The decision to give £250,000 to the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund for its work in the crisis-hit region of Darfur is an example, both of the extra funds which the new Executive is committed to providing, but also the wider scope of its aid programme.
The Scottish Executive is limited to what it can do in international development and ministers have to be careful not to impinge on the remit of the much bigger Department for International Development in London, which co-ordinates Britain's aid effort.
But the Darfur initiative falls within the remit of the Scottish Executive, principally because the money is going to a Scottish charity, not to the authorities in Darfur.
A spokeswoman for the Executive also confirmed that ministers in Edinburgh had been in close touch with Whitehall while drawing up this grant and that the International Development Department was "fully behind" the initiative.
Mary Cullen, the head of communications at SCIAF, said the money would be very well spent helping "the poorest of the poor".
"It will go immediately to projects on the ground in Darfur to help keep people alive through what continues to be a complex and desperate crisis," she said. "Together with the threat of violence, there is the very real risk of large scale fatalities from diseases such as cholera and malaria.
"The displaced population in Darfur now accounts for a staggering 2.1 million people, with the number of new arrivals going up all the time. Since January alone, 110,000 new people have fled to camps for protection, food and shelter."
The war in the Darfur region of Sudan has been raging for four years and has left hundreds of thousands dead, either through the conflict itself or indirectly from starvation and drought. Announcing the cash, external affairs minister Linda Fabiani said the money would support more than 120,000 people in communities most affected by the violence and unrest in the south and west of the Sudanese province.
More than two million people are thought to have been displaced within Darfur and a further 235,000 have fled to neighbouring Chad.
Britain had allocated £104 million since April, and the Executive is already contributing by supporting an educational project in south Sudan with a £190,000 award.
Ms Fabiani said: "With the arrival of the rainy season, we are looking at immediate and practical solutions to support impoverished and displaced people.
"In an area where three quarters of the population are farmers, this money from the Scottish government will provide essential seeds, tools and training to allow people to begin planting to feed themselves and their families."
Meanwhile, Mr Salmond is to try to raise Scotland's profile on the international stage with a trip to Brussels this week when he will meet a number of senior European figures, including Peter Mandelson, the EU Trade Commissioner.
LATEST ROUND OF GRANTS
THE latest round of Executive grants for international development included many for Malawi and a small number for Scottish charities working in disaster areas.
The grants included:
• £250,000 to provide facilities and resources to train Malawians in tourism development.
• £137,000 to train people in the Mulanje region in Malawi to deal with and solve their own problems in health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS control.
• £70,000 to train specialist eye doctors for Saving Sight in Malawi.
• £222,000 on a project to provide reliable power supplies for health facilities in rural Malawi.
• £218,000 to help the Malawian growers of macadamia nuts to get their produce to markets.
• £185,000 for Mercy Corps Scotland in its work at Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, helping the community to recover after the tsunami.
• £167,000 to fund Scottish volunteers to work with local NGOs in Sri Lanka on health and water projects in areas affected by the Tsunami.
• £100,000 - two awards of £50,000, one to Oxfam and one to Mercy Corps Scotland - to help them in their work in Pakistan after the earthquake.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1071902007
Jack McConnell, the former First Minister, set up a fund of £4.5 million for international development during his time in office, most of which was allocated to charities in Malawi, which is now twinned with Scotland.
Mr McConnell believed that the best way to make an impact was to concentrate much of the Executive's very limited resources in one country.
Now, however, Alex Salmond has changed the emphasis. He has promised to double the size of the fund to £9 million in the new spending round, which will be announced in November, and he has decided to spread the Executive's resources more widely.
The decision to give £250,000 to the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund for its work in the crisis-hit region of Darfur is an example, both of the extra funds which the new Executive is committed to providing, but also the wider scope of its aid programme.
The Scottish Executive is limited to what it can do in international development and ministers have to be careful not to impinge on the remit of the much bigger Department for International Development in London, which co-ordinates Britain's aid effort.
But the Darfur initiative falls within the remit of the Scottish Executive, principally because the money is going to a Scottish charity, not to the authorities in Darfur.
A spokeswoman for the Executive also confirmed that ministers in Edinburgh had been in close touch with Whitehall while drawing up this grant and that the International Development Department was "fully behind" the initiative.
Mary Cullen, the head of communications at SCIAF, said the money would be very well spent helping "the poorest of the poor".
"It will go immediately to projects on the ground in Darfur to help keep people alive through what continues to be a complex and desperate crisis," she said. "Together with the threat of violence, there is the very real risk of large scale fatalities from diseases such as cholera and malaria.
"The displaced population in Darfur now accounts for a staggering 2.1 million people, with the number of new arrivals going up all the time. Since January alone, 110,000 new people have fled to camps for protection, food and shelter."
The war in the Darfur region of Sudan has been raging for four years and has left hundreds of thousands dead, either through the conflict itself or indirectly from starvation and drought. Announcing the cash, external affairs minister Linda Fabiani said the money would support more than 120,000 people in communities most affected by the violence and unrest in the south and west of the Sudanese province.
More than two million people are thought to have been displaced within Darfur and a further 235,000 have fled to neighbouring Chad.
Britain had allocated £104 million since April, and the Executive is already contributing by supporting an educational project in south Sudan with a £190,000 award.
Ms Fabiani said: "With the arrival of the rainy season, we are looking at immediate and practical solutions to support impoverished and displaced people.
"In an area where three quarters of the population are farmers, this money from the Scottish government will provide essential seeds, tools and training to allow people to begin planting to feed themselves and their families."
Meanwhile, Mr Salmond is to try to raise Scotland's profile on the international stage with a trip to Brussels this week when he will meet a number of senior European figures, including Peter Mandelson, the EU Trade Commissioner.
LATEST ROUND OF GRANTS
THE latest round of Executive grants for international development included many for Malawi and a small number for Scottish charities working in disaster areas.
The grants included:
• £250,000 to provide facilities and resources to train Malawians in tourism development.
• £137,000 to train people in the Mulanje region in Malawi to deal with and solve their own problems in health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS control.
• £70,000 to train specialist eye doctors for Saving Sight in Malawi.
• £222,000 on a project to provide reliable power supplies for health facilities in rural Malawi.
• £218,000 to help the Malawian growers of macadamia nuts to get their produce to markets.
• £185,000 for Mercy Corps Scotland in its work at Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, helping the community to recover after the tsunami.
• £167,000 to fund Scottish volunteers to work with local NGOs in Sri Lanka on health and water projects in areas affected by the Tsunami.
• £100,000 - two awards of £50,000, one to Oxfam and one to Mercy Corps Scotland - to help them in their work in Pakistan after the earthquake.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1071902007
New episcopal responsibilities for a Canadian in Malawi
On 4 July 2007 Most Reverend Rémi Sainte-Marie, M.Afr., became Bishop of Lilongwe in Malawi, Africa.
Born in 1938 in La Minerve, Quebec, Bishop Sainte-Marie made his final vows in 1962 as a member of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) and was ordained priest the following year. He has been a missionary in Malawi for 44 years.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Dedza, Malawi. Two years later he was named Diocesan Bishop. In February 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of the neighbouring Diocese of Lilongwe. On 4 July 2007 he became Bishop of Lilongwe, after the Holy Father accepted the resignation of his predecessor who had reached the retirement age of 75.
There are currently 11 Canadians serving as Bishops outside Canada.
Born in 1938 in La Minerve, Quebec, Bishop Sainte-Marie made his final vows in 1962 as a member of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) and was ordained priest the following year. He has been a missionary in Malawi for 44 years.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Dedza, Malawi. Two years later he was named Diocesan Bishop. In February 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Coadjutor Bishop of the neighbouring Diocese of Lilongwe. On 4 July 2007 he became Bishop of Lilongwe, after the Holy Father accepted the resignation of his predecessor who had reached the retirement age of 75.
There are currently 11 Canadians serving as Bishops outside Canada.
Judges shun Mutharika at Independence rally
Judges from the High Court and Supreme Court of Malawi shunned the invitation by the state to attend Independence cerebrations feast in Blantyre following scathing attack which President Bingu wa Mutharika made on the judiciary.
Government through events organising committee which was chaired by Joyce Banda, foreign affairs minister, invited judges to attend the 43rd independence cerebrations rally at Kamuzu Stadium.
The judges unanimously did not avail themselves at the state function which was conspicuously attended by the newly handpicked chief justice, Lovemore Munlo who has not been a member of the bench before his appointment.
“The judges could not attend the function because they were sure if President Mutharika would spare them from his outburst which he has included the judges when he is bashing his political rivals,” said a source from the High Court in Blantyre.
High Court registrar, Sylvester Kalembela could not immediately comment on the matter.
But Banda said the July 6 event was not political but national as Malawi celebrated 43 years since they broke the bondage of the British colonial masters.
Supreme Court last month granted powers to the Speaker of Parliament to expel parliamentarians who switch parties, a decision that would see the collapse of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is largely blended by defectors from the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) which successfully sponsored President Mutharika in 2004 poll but he later ditched it.
In a special radio and television address to the nation recently, President Mutharika attacked the Supreme Court of Appeal for their landmark ruling.
He also blamed former president, Dr Bakili Muluzi, of "masterminding" a Supreme Court ruling.
Mutharika was the referral authority in the case
Government through events organising committee which was chaired by Joyce Banda, foreign affairs minister, invited judges to attend the 43rd independence cerebrations rally at Kamuzu Stadium.
The judges unanimously did not avail themselves at the state function which was conspicuously attended by the newly handpicked chief justice, Lovemore Munlo who has not been a member of the bench before his appointment.
“The judges could not attend the function because they were sure if President Mutharika would spare them from his outburst which he has included the judges when he is bashing his political rivals,” said a source from the High Court in Blantyre.
High Court registrar, Sylvester Kalembela could not immediately comment on the matter.
But Banda said the July 6 event was not political but national as Malawi celebrated 43 years since they broke the bondage of the British colonial masters.
Supreme Court last month granted powers to the Speaker of Parliament to expel parliamentarians who switch parties, a decision that would see the collapse of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is largely blended by defectors from the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) which successfully sponsored President Mutharika in 2004 poll but he later ditched it.
In a special radio and television address to the nation recently, President Mutharika attacked the Supreme Court of Appeal for their landmark ruling.
He also blamed former president, Dr Bakili Muluzi, of "masterminding" a Supreme Court ruling.
Mutharika was the referral authority in the case
Community radio in Malawi: an IPDC success story
Three years after its establishment, the community radio in Nkhota-kota, Malawi’s central region, has become the one that everybody listens to in Ntchisi, Dowa, Salima, Kasungu and Nkhata Bay.
The radio was launched in 2003 with an initial grant of US$20,000 from UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). It is broadcasting on FM 101.9 and its listeners call it fondly radio KK.
An opinion poll conducted recently in the district showed that, in spite of more powerful signals from neighbouring Tanzania and Mozambique, the people of the lakeshore have made this radio their favourite. Medical personnel, teachers and traders say that they listen to the radio until it switches off for the night and often use it as an alarm to wake up in the morning. There is hunger for information in the community and the radio is an absolute need.
For the district Commissioner of Nkhota-kota, the radio is the medium of dialogue with the citizens. He is very much satisfied that the radio staff filled an information vacuum in the district. "Now the citizens are aware of what we are doing and they constantly give us feedback", he says.
In order to strengthen the interaction with the audience, the radio management initiated listeners clubs. Those groups are encouraged to produce programmes on any pressing issue, share it with the community, suggest solutions and ask for inputs from the wider audience. It makes the community very happy, because everybody can contribute to a faster solution of common problems.
One of the major challenges the radio station faces today is its transformation to a fully fledged community multimedia centre, which will enable the community to have an access to Internet and to use e-mail. A library service is also planned.
It is remarkable how a small IPDC contribution have triggered all this. Credit should go to the volunteers who run the radio. Some of them have refused more lucrative offers of employment in urban commercial radios. For them community broadcasting is a calling.
The radio was launched in 2003 with an initial grant of US$20,000 from UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). It is broadcasting on FM 101.9 and its listeners call it fondly radio KK.
An opinion poll conducted recently in the district showed that, in spite of more powerful signals from neighbouring Tanzania and Mozambique, the people of the lakeshore have made this radio their favourite. Medical personnel, teachers and traders say that they listen to the radio until it switches off for the night and often use it as an alarm to wake up in the morning. There is hunger for information in the community and the radio is an absolute need.
For the district Commissioner of Nkhota-kota, the radio is the medium of dialogue with the citizens. He is very much satisfied that the radio staff filled an information vacuum in the district. "Now the citizens are aware of what we are doing and they constantly give us feedback", he says.
In order to strengthen the interaction with the audience, the radio management initiated listeners clubs. Those groups are encouraged to produce programmes on any pressing issue, share it with the community, suggest solutions and ask for inputs from the wider audience. It makes the community very happy, because everybody can contribute to a faster solution of common problems.
One of the major challenges the radio station faces today is its transformation to a fully fledged community multimedia centre, which will enable the community to have an access to Internet and to use e-mail. A library service is also planned.
It is remarkable how a small IPDC contribution have triggered all this. Credit should go to the volunteers who run the radio. Some of them have refused more lucrative offers of employment in urban commercial radios. For them community broadcasting is a calling.
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