Andris Piebalgs, Member of the EC in charge of Development, paid a high level visit to Malawi, together with José Graziano da Silva, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. During their stay, they met with Joyce Banda, President of Malawi, to discuss the country's challenges on nutrition and food security and underline ongoing EU and FAO support in this area. They also visited a series of EU projects, including food security and agricultural centres, as well as a Grain Storage Facility funded by the FAO. They also met with representatives from the private sector, where they discussed the importance of investing in agriculture, which employs 87% of the population and accounts for about 36% of GDP, as well as for more than 70% of export revenues.