LILONGWE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 4,009,537 people, representing about 22 percent of the national population in Malawi, will not be able to meet their annual food requirement during the 2025/2026 lean period from October to March, authorities have reported.

According to the latest food security vulnerability assessment conducted by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development through the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, millions of Malawians are at risk of food shortages in the coming months.

Released Sunday by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, the findings showed that among those to be affected, 64,138 people are residents in the four major Malawian cities, while about 3.9 million are rural residents.

A statement, signed by Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha, said that the people will require urgent humanitarian action to reduce their food consumption gaps, protect and restore their livelihood, and prevent them from a high level of acute malnutrition.

The required humanitarian food assistance has been estimated at 200,000 metric tonnes of maize, with an estimated cash value of 387.20 billion Malawi Kwacha (about 223.4 million U.S. dollars), according to the statement.

The statement added that the food assistance is required for a period ranging from three to six months. The Malawian government has since appealed to humanitarian organisations and other partners to help address the situation. ■