Malawi Government has launched an audit of major agricultural produce buyers to enforce compliance with gazetted farmgate prices following widespread complaints that farmers are being exploited.
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Roza Mbilizi announced the move in Parliament on Tuesday when she responded to concerns from legislators on buyers and vendors purchasing produce below the minimum prices set by government.
“We have instituted an audit, especially among big companies that buy from farmers, to make sure produce is being bought at the gazetted prices,” she said.
Mbilizi said the audit would also scrutinise companies that use vendors to procure produce from farmers.
“We are not just looking at prices offered by buyers. We are also looking at the levies that farmers pay. It is our intention to streamline these levies to reasonable levels to ensure our farmers are not ripped off,” she said.
Mbilizi said government remained committed to improving returns for farmers to encourage continued production of tobacco and other crops.
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She also disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has released K10 billion to Admarc to purchase crops other than maize, urging farmers to sell to the State produce trader.
In his contribution, Blantyre North legislator Francis Phiso (Democratic Progressive Party) urged government to go beyond setting minimum farmgate prices and ensure they are enforced.
He said farmers continue to be exploited despite the existence of recommended prices.
Government announced minimum farmgate prices on April 14 2026, pegging maize at K900 per kilogramme.
However, vendors in some areas have reportedly been buying maize for as little as K500 per kilogramme, taking advantage of delays by Admarc and the National Food Reserve Agency to enter the market.
The debate also shifted to the struggling tobacco market, with Rumphi Central MP Mathews Mtumbuka (UTM Party) asking what measure
would take to secure better prices for growers next season.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament Simplex Chithyola Banda called on government to re-engage tobacco buyers to buy more leaf at better prices, warning that poor prices and lower volumes were reducing foreign exchange earnings.
In response, Mbi l izi said government was engaging tobacco buyers to improve the industry’s long-term viability while pursuing value addition and diversification into other export crops.
“What we are looking at is not just today but the future of the tobacco industry. Very soon we will see developments where we are not only selling raw tobacco but producing tobacco products here in Malawi,” she said.
