A research by the International Food Policy Research Institute Malawi (Ifpri Malawi) has established that average retail prices of maize declined by 16 percent in January 2026.
That is contrary to typical lean-season patterns, as evidenced by the 21 percent increase of the staple food grain prices during the corresponding period last year.
Ifpri Malawi collected price data “telephonically six times per week”, excluding Sundays from 27 markets across the country.
The report titled Maize Market Price dated February 12 2026 says the national average price fell from K1 161 per kilogramme (kg) on [K58 050] per 50kg in the last week of December to K978 per kg or [K48 900] per 50kg in the last week of January.
It reads in part: “The decline was observed in all monitored markets, though its magnitude varied from just under one percent in Chitipa to 25 percent in Lilongwe. Overall, prices declined more in the Central and Southern regions than in the Northern Region.
“The Northern Region nevertheless continued to register the lowest maize prices, averaging K923 per kg in the final week of January, followed by the Central Region at K950 per kg and the Southern Region at K1 022 kg.”
However, Ifpri Malawi says that in January, informal cross-border trade in maize was dominated by net imports across most monitored border posts, with particularly strong inflows through the Mozambique and Tanzania borders.
last year. | Nation
“Despite this anomaly, consistent net imports at relatively favourable prices and market exchange rates pushed maize prices down in January,” the report further reads.
It further adds that anecdotal evidence that declining prices prompted some traders to dispose of their remaining stock, further exacerbating the price decline to levels well below last year’s government-mandated minimum farm gate price of K1 050 per kg.
Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito has said the fall in the commodity’s price is because there “is so much maize on the market” which is good for the consumer.
“The consumers are benefitting. You do not see people queuing in markets for maize,” he said in an interview yesterday.
On his part, economist Chris Mbukwa said since maize is a main driver when it comes to calculating inflation, the fall in prices would have an effect.
“If the price of maize has reduced, we expect it to be transmitted to the headline inflation,” he said.
The National Statistical Office on Saturday said Malawi’s food inflation fell sharply to 22.1 percent, down from 26.5 percent in December, helping pull down the headline rate.
The data suggested that while food price pressures are easing, rising non-food costs, including transport, utilities and other consumer goods, continue to weigh on consumers at the start of 2026.
On February 10 this year, the National Food Reserve Agency also announced that it had reduced the price of buying maize from farmers and traders from K55 000 per kg to K42 000 per kg following a market research that showed “significant decreases in maize prices across the country.”
In August last year, maize prices hit K85 000 per 50 kg bag in some parts of the country.
