Maize prices have slightly eased to K790 per kilogramme (kg), but the impact is yet to trickle down to the vulnerable poor who continue to buy maize flour at high prices.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) latest Monthly Maize Market Report, the maize prices decelerated from about K800 per kg in August due to the inflow of the staple grain from Tanzania.
Reads the report in part: “Prices remained stable thanks to steady supply of maize from Tanzania and, to a lesser extent, from Zambia.”
But for Hanna Kumisuku, a mother of three from Chimwankhunda, Township in Blantyre, the price of one kg of maize flour remains at K1 400.
She said her business enables her to buy one or two kg of maize flour to support her husband whose job as a house boy earns him K30 000 a month, which is not enough to support the family of five.
“It is really tough to survive because the salary of my husband only covers the school fees of my daughter,” said Kumisuku.
Similarly, Silize Eladi, a single mother of two who sells baobab juice at Green Corner in Blantyre, prefers buying maize flour daily, but said the price remains high.
In an interview on Monday, Grain Traders Association of Malawi president Grace Mijiga Mhango acknowledged the increased inflow of maize from Tanzania, which eased the prices.
She said: “There was indeed increased inflow of maize from Tanzania in September, but the trend has already changed.
“We have seen the prices rising again. At the moment, Tanzania is the only neighbouring country with surplus maize because Zambia’s situation is worse than Malawi’s.”
Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito, in an interview on Monday, described the maize price drop as insignificant to impact positively on consumers, adding that prices are likely to remain elevated.
“During the lean period, supply of maize determines the prices. It is still a challenge to get maize from well established markets and generally prices will remain high,” he said.
Agricultural development policy expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula said in an interview maize imports from Tanzanian can help to saturate the market and stabilise prices in the short to medium-term.
He said: “Maize prices remain under pressure, especially in the Southern Region because of supply challenges.
“If supply from our northern neighbours is allowed to increase, it is likely to cool down the available pressure on prices.”
According to Ifpri, Tanzania has surplus maize, a situation which has seen its grain moving down towards southern Africa, where dry spells driven by the El Niño climatic phenomenon led to production shortages.
Maize price is the main influencer of Malawi’s inflation, which stood at 34.3 percent as of September, according to the National Statistical Office data.
