Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika says he will discuss the issue of global food security at the two-day Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit which starts on Wednesday in Egypt.
"Malawi will raise the issue of global food security. The world has food shortages, there are shortages of rice, wheat and other crops," Mutharika told journalists before leaving for the summit.
He said his impoverished southern African nation, where half the population suffered famine in 2005, has turned around its agricultural sector in the past three years.
Mutharika has invested millions of dollars in a fertiliser susbsidy programme, which resulted in a bumper maize harvest for 2009.
"If the Non Aligned Movement can copy our experiment in Malawi, perhaps the world can be able to feed itself," said Mutharika.
In June, Mutharika announced that his country had produced 3.7 million tons of maize for the 2009 harvest, a 36% increase from last year's crop.
Mutharika said he wants to invite the private sector to invest in agriculture, which is the backbone of the country's economy, to produce rice and maize.
"Malawi can contribute to world food security," he added.
Mutharika's focus on ending hunger and poverty saw him being re-elected for a second term as president in the May elections.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Malawi: HIV woman gives birth to triplets
An HIV positive woman Agnes Chawinga in Malawi's northern region district of Chitipa has given birth to triplets. The woman, 30, is said to have been into prostitution before she tested positive later.
According to Chitipa District Hospital Clinical Officer Joseph Kasola chances are slim that the mother would pass on the virus to the triplets - a boy and two girls.
“ In the case of Chawinga, there are very limited chances of her passing the virus to the little ones as the treatment she is getting greatly inactivates the viruses,” said Kasola.
However media reports in the country say that the woman does not know the children’s father but suspects a businessman she had sex with recently. Malawi’s weekend paper - The Sunday Times - reported that Chawinga has been on Antiretroviral Treatment and was in good condition.
The report further said that the woman joined an HIV/Aids association after she tested positive before she started sharing experiences and advice with fellow members on positive living
According to Chitipa District Hospital Clinical Officer Joseph Kasola chances are slim that the mother would pass on the virus to the triplets - a boy and two girls.
“ In the case of Chawinga, there are very limited chances of her passing the virus to the little ones as the treatment she is getting greatly inactivates the viruses,” said Kasola.
However media reports in the country say that the woman does not know the children’s father but suspects a businessman she had sex with recently. Malawi’s weekend paper - The Sunday Times - reported that Chawinga has been on Antiretroviral Treatment and was in good condition.
The report further said that the woman joined an HIV/Aids association after she tested positive before she started sharing experiences and advice with fellow members on positive living
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