LILONGWE, Malawi, Oct. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika Friday night succumbed to the demands of the country's parliament and declared Malawi a disaster state due to the worsening food shortages.

    Mutharika has in the past few months played down numerous callsfrom civil society groups to declare Malawi a state of disaster until the country's National Assembly added its voice to the calls.

    Malawi's parliament, currently meeting in the capital Lilongwe,resolved on Thursday that Mutharika must declare that the country was a state of disaster due to the worsening food crisis that was threatening the lives of about five million of the country's 11.6 million people.

    Malawi, like other Southern African countries, is facing acute food shortages following last year's crop failure due to a droughtthat hit the region. Malawi produced just 1.25 million tons of staple maize of the required 3.4 million tons.

    "Accordingly, and in accordance with the powers conferred upon me by the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act, I declare all districts of Malawi, Disaster Areas, with effect from today, Friday 14th October 2005," said Mutharika in his address to the nation.

    He admitted Malawi's hunger crisis had now gotten worse than earlier anticipated adding that the country presently required a further 144,000 tons of maize beyond what had been planned in Julywhen parliament passed the 2005/06 government budget.

    Malawi parliament authorized government to spend about 40 million US dollars to import 300,000 tons of maize, of which 250,000 tons would be distributed freely to the most vulnerable people.

    The current maize scarcity has almost doubled the price of maize on the country's market making the cereal unaffordable to most rural poor Malawians. A kilogram of maize normally costs about 13 US cents but now it has gone up as high as 30 US cents inmost parts of Malawi.

    Mutharika condemned the country's maize traders for cashing in on the worsening food crisis by selling the cereal at exorbitant prices making food unavailable and unaffordable to vulnerable people.

    The Malawi leader said if all pledged maize supplies from international donors were in the country by the end of October, his government would be able to meet the country's food requirements.

    Malawi was last declared a disaster state in 2002 after another drought induced crop failure but agricultural analysts have stated that the country's current hunger crisis has surpassed that of 2002 and have equated it to the one that hit Malawi in 1992. Enditem