State grain trader Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) says it is ready to open its markets across the country for maize sales.
In an interview last week, Admarc chief executive officer Daniel Makata said the corporation is waiting for government’s approval on when to start the sales.
This comes as the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee reports that four million people are food insecure and may require food assistance.
Makata said the corporation is consulting with the Ministry of Agriculture on when the markets will open, including pricing.
“We want to assure Malawians that as Admarc we are ready to ensure that people have access to food and that no one dies of hunger. We have enough maize,” he said.
In a written response Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Arnold Namanja said markets will open soon after all arrangements are finalised.
He said the government is reviewing the current selling price of K790 per kilogramme.
With this price, Malawians will be able to buy a 50 kilogramme bag of maize at K39 500
Namanja further said maize sourced from Zambia will not be sold by Admarc as it is meant for disaster response.
Meanwhile, Mac Joe Gausi from Area 25 in Lilongwe says the opening of Admarc markets would help stabilise maize availability and prices.
He said maize is expensive and only a few people can afford a bag.
“A few weeks ago, we used to buy a 50 kilogramme bag of maize at around K70 000. The price has eased a bit to K60 000. If Admarc opened its markets, we could easily access maize. As it is, we are at the mercy of vendors who are exploiting us. I am calling on Admarc to open its markets and save us as hunger continues to bite,” said Gausi.
To date, Admarc has bought about 27 000 metric tonnes of maize which it expects to sell to Malawians when markets open.
Malawi is currently facing a maize deficit of 600000 metric tonnes after only 2.9 million metric tonnes were realized in the 2024/2025 growing season, against a national requirement of 3.6 million metric tonnes
