The European Union (EU) Delegation to Malawi has releases € 15.9 million – approximately MWK 3.3 billion – to assist Malawi in preventing future food crises.

The assistance falls under the EU's Food Facility, an initiative which aims at strengthening the productive capacity and governance of the agricultural sector in more than 40 developing countries. The facility includes measures that will help prevent further food insecurity situations.

In 2008, soaring food prices and energy crises put numerous developing countries and their populations in a serious predicament as prices of food, fuel and fertiliser increased significantly, jeopardising the progress that had been made towards the Millennium Development Goals.

In response, the EU launched a € 1 billion Food Facility in order to complement its already existing development policy instruments. The facility covers actions in more than 40 developing countries, 26 of which belong to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States.

Of the total amount globally available, the EU has allocated € 17.9 million to Malawi, € 15.9 million of which is channelled through the disbursement mechanisms agreed under the EU's Poverty Reduction Budget Support programme.

The remaining € 2 million will support specific activities that are aligned with Malawi's long-tem strategy on food security, as identified in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy and the Government's Agriculture Sector-Wide Approach.

Among those activities are the Integrated Food Security Response Initiative and an action entitled "Green Health - Back Yard Gardening", which concentrate on increasing food production among vulnerable households in the rural areas of Lilongwe and Zomba Districts, respectively.

The EU support comes at a time of the annual review of the Common Approach to Budget Support (CABS) Group of Donors. The review assesses Malawi's degree of achievement in regard to a number of budget support-related indicators which will determine future levels of commitment.

The new Head of the EU Delegation to Malawi, Alexander Baum, says: "The allocation is part of a series of EU budget support disbursements for the benefit of the people of Malawi during this month. In total, this support amounts to over MWK 14 billion, and will have increased Malawi's foreign exchange reserves by over 40 per cent,""adding that "We look forward to continued constructive and transparent cooperation with the Government and the CABS Group with the aim of furthering Malawi's progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals by 2015".