VOA常速英语207--美国再度粮食救济非洲国家马拉维（在线收听）

The United States is continuing to provide food assistance to its partner Malawi. U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Virginia Palmer recently announced a new U.S. donation of $4.6 million to assist Malawian people in need of humanitarian food assistance.

This additional donation is in response to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee's report that 6.7 million Malawians need imminent food assistance to alleviate suffering. Funds will be channeled through the UN World Food Program.

Ambassador Palmer said she appreciated “President [Peter] Mutharika's leadership in dealing with the worst food crisis of the Southern Africa drought." She also praised Vice President Saulos Chilima's months-long work to bring all stakeholders to the table to address Malawi's food crisis.

Of the $4.6 million, $2.5 million will be used to transport and distribute 10,800 metric tons of maize from the Malawian Government's Strategic Grain Reserve, and $2.1 million is education funding repurposed to fill a critical gap in Malawi's school feeding program.

This additional assistance brings the United States Government's total contribution to the 2016-2017 Food Insecurity Response Plan to $126 million, equivalent to about one third of the Plan's $395 million estimated cost.

Ambassador Palmer pledged that the United States will continue to work with the Government of Malawi to break the cycle of food insecurity. Key to this is Malawi's fulfilling its New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition commitments.

These include a review of the Control of Goods Act, which has inhibited investment in food production, and passage of a Seed Bill consistent with Malawi's commitment to SADC seed harmonization so Malawi's farmers can access and sell quality seeds across the region. Reforms are urgently required to help avoid future food shortages caused not only by climate change but by the unpredictability of Malawi's maize markets.

"The United States Government continues to stand by Malawians in their time of need,” said Ambassador Palmer. “But, together we recognize that policy and market predictability are critical if Malawi's farmers are to become entrepreneurs, if agribusinesses are to invest, and if Malawi is to transform its agriculture sector from a source of vulnerability into an engine for growth."

美国依然在向其伙伴马拉维(Malawi)提供粮食援助。美国驻马拉维大使维护吉尼亚 帕尔默(Virginia Palmer)最近宣布，美国将再捐献460万美元，用以支援需要人道主义粮食援助的马拉维人民。

这笔额外的捐助是继马拉维脆弱性评估委员会(Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee)发布报告后发起的，报告称，有670万马拉维人民迫切需要粮食援助，以缓解困境。这笔援助资金将通过联合国世界粮食计划署来调拨。

大使帕尔默说，她欣赏“彼得 穆塔里卡( Peter Mutharika)在应对史上最严重粮食危机——南非旱灾时的领导力。”帕尔默还赞扬马拉维副总统索罗斯 齐力玛(Saulos Chilima )长达数月的工作将所有利益相关方带回了讨论桌，以解决马拉维的粮食危机问题。

这460万美元中，有250万美元将用于运输和下发马拉维政府战略粮食储备(Strategic Grain Reserve)中的1.08万公吨玉米；另外210万美元将转而作为教育资金，填补马拉维学校膳食项目的巨大缺口。 

加上这笔援助资金，美国政府在2016-2017年《粮食不足应急预案》中的总贡献额就达到1.26亿美元，占该预案总预估成本3.95亿美元的近1/3。

大使帕尔默承诺，美国将继续与马拉维政府合作，以打破粮食不足的死循环。而实现的关键在于马拉维能够履行其在粮食安全与营养项目中关于新联盟的承诺。

其中包括：审查《物资管控法案》，该法案中禁止对粮食生产进行投资；通过《种子法案》，该法案与马拉维对南部非洲发展共同体(SADC, Southern African Development Community)关于协调种子资源所做的承诺一致——如果该法案通过，马拉维的农民们就能在南非范围内买卖高品质的种子。急需改革来助力避免未来由于气候、马拉维玉米市场的不可预测性而导致的粮食短缺情况。

“美国政府会继续在马拉维人民需要的时候站在他们的身边，”大使帕尔默说。“但是，我们双方共同认识到，政策和市场的可预测性对于想要成为企业家的马拉维农民来说是很关键的，对想要进行投资的农业企业是很关键，对马拉维将农业从不堪一击的行业转变为经济增长引擎来说也是很关键的。”