Desperation haunts farmers

 Desperation is driving farmers to sell their small harvests realised in March, a situation anticipated to worsen hunger in the country.

With the rise in the cost of living and a shaky economy, James Phewa from Blantyre’s Ndirande Township has no choice, but to sell five of the nine bags he harvested last month to provide for his family of five.

The 42-year- old is selling his maize at K35 000 per 50 kilogramme (kg) bag.

He agrees that the remaining bags will not take him to the next harvest, but he cannot do otherwise.

Phewa said he is not getting enough from pieceworks to help his  escalating every day and I cannot allow my family to suffer; hence, I will sell part of my harvest to support them.”

He acknowledged that the remaining bags will not carry his four-member family to the next harvest.

Jennifer Majamanda from Mitundu in Lilongwe is facing a similar situation. She harvested eight bags and is selling half of them.

The single mother of one, however, hopes that the remaining bags will carry her through to the next harvest.

“I am in desperate need for money. Finding piecework is tough, so why should I not sell my maize,” she said.

Amos Gwazanga from Ntcheu said selling maize is the only option he has.

He said: “I need to have food on the table daily. With no money, no pieceworks available, what options do I have?”

The situation is tricky for Ntchisi-based Jefita Thomas who harvested three bags and is yet to decide whether to hold on to the harvest or sell part of it to support her family of three.

Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) is worried that this will worsen the hunger situation amid President Lazarus Chakwera’s declaration of a State of Disaster in 23 of the country’s 28 districts.

The districts are Nsanje, Chikwawa, Mulanje, Phalombe, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Zomba, Mangochi, Balaka, Machinga, Mwanza, Neno, Salima, Mchinji, Dowa, Dedza, Lilongwe, Ntchisi, Ntcheu, Nkhotakota, Kasungu and Karonga.

In his declaration, the President said the most pressing need in the districts is food considering that farming households will not make proper harvests.

With two million farming households affected, it is estimated that 600 000 metric tonnes of maize valued at K357.6 billion will be required for the humanitarian response.

Cisanet board chairperson Herbert Chagona in an interview on Wednesday said the farmers’ desperation to sell their maize highlights the harsh realities they are facing.

“In the face of looming challenges such as the anticipated impacts of El Nino and the persistent issue of inadequate access to fertilisers, farmers find themselves at a crossroads. The decision to sell their harvest now, driven by necessity, holds both short-term repercussions and long-term implications for their livelihoods and the broader agricultural landscape,” he said.

Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources agriculture economist Horace Phiri said there is nothing wrong with farmers selling their harvest as long as they save some.

“If they hold on to the maize, they will reduce market supply which will be disastrous. The urgency of the matter requires those that didn’t make any harvest to access maize on the markets,” he said.

Agricultural policy expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula said what the farmers are doing is solving a short-term problem while creating a long-term one.

He said: “It seems the farmers are not looking into the future. They are of the perception that while they solve the current challenge, the future problems will address themselves.”

But as of yesterday, we were yet to get a response from the Ministry of Agriculture on the situation.

Malawi, just like other African countries, has this growing season experienced extreme hot weather and delayed rainfall.

El Nino is often associated with delayed start of rainfall, below-normal precipitation and dry spells.

It is anticipated that El Nino will reduce Malawi’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 4.4 percent. Malawi’s agricultural production solely relies on rainfed agriculture with the sector accounting for more than one-quarter of the GDP.