By Ellen Banda

Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report on food security for 2021-2022 has revealed that at least 1.5 million people are in need of food assistance as they are likely to be food insecure.

A statement signed by Secretary for Economic Planning, Development and Public Sector Reforms Winford Masanjala, said 1,252,277 people are from rural areas, 186,254 from cities and 57,915 are from district centers.

According to the report, the affected population in rural areas will require food assistance for two to three months while those in district centers and cities will require food assistance for two months.

The report indicates that the number of affected people this year is lower compared to last year which was at 2.6 million.

According to Masanjala, the decrease is due to increased agriculture production as a result of good rainfall distribution and increased access to fertilizer and improved seed.