Maize deficit at 120 000MT

Government is yet to explain how it will respond to the food requirements of 4.4 million people at risk of hunger this year, as the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) indicates it will stock about 100 000 metric tonnes (MT) against a demand of 219 023MT for the hunger response.

NFRA acting chief executive officer David Loga said in an interview on Wednesday that the 100 000MT is both for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma)’s for humanitarian and emergency response and for the maize price stabilisation function of the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc).

This means that to meet the food requirement for the 4.4 million people at risk of hunger, NFRA will have to more than double its maize stocks.

But Loga argued that not all Dodma support for the hunger response is in form of grain, saying some beneficiaries are supported through cash transfers.

He said: “There are some cash transfers that are factored in. There is need to reconcile the cash element and food element.”

Asked what quantities NFRA would be able to release to Dodma and Admarc, Loga said it will depend on what they ask for, adding there is also a committee that looks into quantities to be released.

Said the NFRA head: “There is 12 000MT that is expected to go Admarc, and more requests are expected to be made later.

“However, government is considering other avenues to boost the grain reserves.”

He, however, could not be drawn to elaborate on the avenues being considered, saying: “I cannot say much now because government is looking into the issue.”

But Loga was quick to add that NFRA has started receiving the 21 000MT of maize procured by the World Bank worth $10 million (over K10 billion), adding that the entity has also received a request for 12 000MT for maize to be sold in Admarc depots.

He also said government has released an additional K5.1billion from the money allocated for maize purchases in the national budget and NFRA will also get an additional K7billion which government has claimed on the drought insurance. With this money NFRA is expected to procure about 20 000MT.

NFRA is also getting 1 000MT of maize through the mega farm initiative. Government piloted a project by engaging Malawi Prison and the Malawi Defence Force.

In a separate interview, Dodma commissioner Charles Kalemba said the 219 023MT of maize requirement is based on the assumption that all beneficiaries will get maize.

He said some of the beneficiaries will be assisted with cash transfers, and that Dodma is currently engaging partners to help with cash transfers support, with some partners already pledging assistance for some districts.

Said Kalemba: “The actual maize quantity needed will be determined by what the partners will provide.

“I cannot say now how much we will need in terms of maize quantities. When we are done with the response plan we will be able to tell the tonnage needed.”

He said there should be no cause for worry about 4.4 million people being food insecure, saying government will manage the situation.

“We will be able to support our people. We will feed our people.”

Asked how government intends to cover the deficit Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale asked for a questionnaire. But he had not responded to it as we went to press last evening while Government spokesman Moses Kunkuyu did not pick up his phone when we tried to reach him for a comment. 

But Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Sameer Suleman has expressed concern with the situation, wondering where the beneficiaries of the cash transfers will buy their maize from if government is failing to stock enough grain.

He observed that of the 4.4 million people that will require support, 3.9 million are in rural areas where they will depend on Admarc to access maize.

Said Suleman: “If Admarc does not get the quantities needed, it will be very difficult for rural people to access the maize.”

The committee chair said he suspects that government has been reluctant to open Admarc markets because of the same maize shortage.

“Cash transfers will not solve the problem because people will not eat money. It is only in Admarc markets where people can access affordable maize.

“If they like, let government buy the maize and distribute to the people. Where will the people buy maize? There is no maize,” he argued.

Grain Traders Association of Malawi president Grace Mijiga Mhango told our sister newspaper The Nation last week that the country requires imports and the involvement of various stakeholders to effectively address food insecurity.

She said the country does not have adequate maize, saying even the 100 000MT that the private traders are stocking, a big chunk of it will go towards animal feed.

Said Mijiga Mhango: “In a normal season, the maize that gets traded ranges between 400 000MT to 450 000MT. So, you can see there is a huge deficit.

“If the private sector can be supported with forex, we can increase the current tonnage to 200 000MT.”

The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) established that 4.4 people will not be able to meet their annual food requirements for the 2023/2024 consumption period.

The figure represents about 22 percent of the Malawi projected total population of 19.6 million, but also a15 percent increase when compared to 3.9 million people that were food insecure in 2022.

Out of the 2023/24 food insecure people, 470 000 are from the cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Zomba, while 3.9 million are in rural areas nationwide.

The number of the affected population in rural areas has increased by 23 percent from 3.1 million in the 2022/23 consumption year, while urban areas have registered a decline by 25 percent from 627 571 people.

Admarc on Thursday partially opened its markets in some parts of the country where it was restricting individuals to buying a maximum of 25kg. Admarc has pegged the maize at 600kg.