MALAWIAN PRESIDENT TELLS STARVING CITIZENS TO EAT MICE AND GRASSHOPPERS
Malawian President Peter Mutharika has reportedly told
millions of starving Malawians to eat grasshoppers and mice as a means to cope
with the current food shortages in the southern African country.
According to Nyasa Times, Mutharika made the statement at a
political rally on Saturday.
He, however, claimed that his administration was under
pressure to find solutions to the issue of hunger that has gripped the country
over the past months.Mutharika urged citizens to be resourceful in their search for food and money, adding that they should not die from hunger when wild animals and insects were there for them to eat.
A well-known bishop, on the other hand, called on leaders to
find alternative methods of dealing with hunger rather than providing running
commentary on the problem.
Bishop Martin Mtumbuka said he did not understand how Malawi
could be facing starvation when adequate water exists for irrigation purposes.
“Why are our friends in Zambia always having bumper maize
harvest and not us? Why the leaders fail to implement irrigation farming?”
Mtumbuka was quoted as saying.
The Malawian government has previously said that one million tons of maize imports would be needed to combat a food shortage caused by severe drought across the southern part of the continent.
In addition, Mutharika himself, has also previously claimed that his government had managed to raise just $63m to use in the purchase of maize, with $237m still being needed in order to feed the almost 8.4m citizens in danger of starvation.
While stating that Malawi’s food production would decrease
by 50% this year, Mutharika at the time assured citizens that no-one would die
of hunger in the country.
MALAWIAN PRESIDENT TELLS STARVING CITIZENS TO EAT MICE AND GRASSHOPPERS
Reviewed by adeyemo nathaniel
on
Monday, June 27, 2016
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