Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Roza Fatchi Mbilizi and her Zambian counterpart Reuben Mtolo Phiri yesterday sealed the deal to procure 200 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize from Zambia.
Speaking to the media in Lilongwe yesterday after signing the sale agreement, she said the import will enable government to sell the maize at less than K50 000 per 50 kilogramme (kg) bag locally.
“So, we are saying, as government, we will make sure that Malawians buy this maize at a very affordable price,” said Mbilizi.
Malawi Government announced plans to procure 200 000MT of maize from Zambia to beef up local stocks and ease local supply shortages of the staple grain.
However, Mbilizi was non-committal on when the maize would start arriving in the country for distribution.
Mtolo Phiri said his government will allow Malawi to pay for the maize in instalments, adding that Zambia stands ready to dispatch the maize as soon as Malawi makes the first payment.
He said they have sold the maize to Malawi at a low price because they are sister countries whose people are one.
The Zambian minister added that to cut on logistical expenses, the maize will be sourced within a 100 kilometre (km) radius from Chipata, a town bordering Malawi.
He said: “We wanted to reduce transport costs for Malawi because you can buy maize at a very affordable price, but if you are not careful, the price can escalate due to high costs of transportation.”
Mtolo Phiri also invited Malawi to consider buying more maize from his country, saying Zambia has up to 500 000MT more maize available.
The 2025 Malawi Vulnerability Aassessment Committee report estimates that about four million Malawians will face hunger between this month and March next year.
The projection represents a slight decline from the previous consumption period when about six million people faced hunger.
However, the number is an increase from 2.9 million people authorities estimated would face hunger between May and September this year.
In June this year, the World Food Programme (WFP) projected Malawi’s maize deficit at 1.2 million MT or 33 percent of harvest.
The national annual maize requirement is 3.7 million MT.
