Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has launched a probe into the consumption of maize seed by vulnerable households in the midst of the hunger situation.
MBS spokesperson Monica Khombe said this yesterday in a written response following a story published in Nation on Sunday’s edition of March 2 2025 on how households affected with the hunger situation are consuming maize.
Khombe said the probe will comprise teams from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture.
She said: “The consumption has significant health risks because of the chemicals used to treat the seeds”.
But Khombe did not state the duration of the probe and how it will specifically be undertaken.
The most recent Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) report states that an estimated 5.7 million population is facing a deteriorating hunger situation. It was anticipated that the situation would deteriorate further between October 2024 and March 2025 as the lean period kicked in.
Amid the deteriorating hunger situation, Nation on Sunday’s story reported that vulnerable households are consuming maize seeds as they cannot afford to buy maize from both formal and informal markets.
According to the findings as presented in the story, some of the vulnerable households consuming the maize seed are largely Affordable Inputs Programme beneficiaries and those who are receiving farm inputs from organisations.
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences professor of epidemiology and public health Adamson Muula in his reaction to the findings stated that while the health hazards may not be known, the maize seeds are not meant to be consumed.
He said: “It was not meant for human consumption. One could think of residual chemicals with varying effects”.
A fortnight ago, Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale told The Nation that with the hunger situation expected to persist, government will remain committed to building a resilient food system through integrated risk management, climate-smart agriculture and community empowerment.
