Authorities at Karonga district council have appealed for more food relief programmes to over thirty thousand households affected by dry spell.

The plea has been made as a recent report by the council indicates that about two point two billion kwacha is needed to avert the effects of the dry spell that the district has experienced in the 2022/2023 farming season.

Chairperson of Karonga district council Isaac Kalambo has said that while encouraging farmers to plant early maturing crop varieties, government should also support the affected areas with irrigation equipment.

Kalambo has disclosed that the department of Disaster Management has started distributing maize to the affected families at Traditional Authority Wansambo.