The ADD’s Communications Officer, Abraham Danton Banda, has noted with concern that natural calamities such as floods and dry spells are impacting negatively on crop yield in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts.

He has since disclosed that the ADD will intensify sensitizations in Nsanje’s two Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) of Zunde and Nyachilenda which have been hit by dry spells thus raising fears of food insecurity.

“We will deploy our experts in the two EPAs and other areas to make sure that people are reminded and fully understand modern farming and area based.

He added, “as an ADD we are shocked by this development suffice to say these are usual occurrences in the Shire Valley. Heavy rainfall results in flooding which affects crops and livestock and sometimes we face dry spells.

“But we are not just staying idle. There plans to do a lot of sensitization so that farmers adopt modern technologies so that they attain food security regardless.”

He noted that this is critical as the country is running towards Malawi 2063 “which anchors the development of our people in the rural areas but also at national level in terms of food security and nutrition.”

Earlier, Nsanje’s Principal Agriculture Officer, (PAO), Whytone Fole, told Zodiak Online that “not all the EPAs have been affected. Some areas are better off but from the report we have received, Zunde and some pockets of Nyachilenda, have heavily been affected.

“If there will be no rains within the week, crops such as maize and groundnuts will not survive but at least for sorghum and millet, should we receive rains be it next week, they have the ability to reestablish and farmers can still get something."