Ministry of Agriculture yesterday released recommended farmgate prices for the 2024/25 agriculture season, but the development has come after some farmers have already been given raw deals by unscrupulous vendors.
In a statement dated April 7 2025 signed by Secretary for Agriculture Geoffrey Mamba, the ministry has pegged minimum farm gate prices for strategic commodities with that of maize set at K1 050 per kilogramme (kg), representing about 62 percent increase from last year’s K650 per kg.
On the other hand, rice-paddy, finger millet, cowpeas and soya beans are each set at K1 200 per kg, sorghum is at K900, while pure beans and shelled groundnuts are at K2 500 per kg.
Sunflower is at K1 000, pigeon peas K1 100, cotton K1 400 and paprika K3 000, among others.
Reads the statement in part: “The prices are with immediate effect. All agro-dealers, agro-processors and others who deal with commodities are requested to buy the stated commodities at prices not less than those stipulated above.”
But The Nation spot-checks in some selected districts on Monday found that vendors were buying maize at as low as K534 per kg, representing about 50 percent less from the recommended price of K1 050.
At Mbulumbuzi Market in Chiradzulu, vendors were buying maize at K800 per 1.5-litre plastic plates that carries about 1.5kg of maize, representing about K26 700 per 50kg bag.
On the other hand, at Chadzunda in Blantyre Rural, vendors on market day on Wednesday were buying maize from farmers at K3 000 per five-litre bucket, translating to K30 000 per 50kg bag.
The farmers expressed worry with the ministry’s delay to release the farm-gate prices, saying vendors were taking advantage of the situation to buy farm produce at a lower price.
Allena Matemba, a farmer from Matowe Village in Traditional Authority Mpama in Chiradzulu, said: “The challenge is that Admarc [Limited] is yet to start buying maize. So we have no choice, but to sell to vendors because we are in a dire need of money.”
Another farmer from the same area Smart Namanja expressed worry with farm-gate price delay, saying farmers will end up selling all their maize and risk experiencing hunger.
In a separate interview, Dalitso Kaunda a farmer at Chadzunda also feared that further farm-gate price delay will affect crop production in the 2025/26 harvesting season.
Reacting to the matter, Farmers Union of Malawi chief executive officer (CEO) Jacob Nyirongo said by law, Ministry of Agriculture was supposed to release the recommended minimum farm gate prices by now.
He said it is important for government to timely release the recommended minimum farm gate prices to protect farmers.
Two weeks ago, Admarc Limited CEO Daniel Makata indicated that his institution will start buying maize in May with an initial target of 70 000 metric tonnes (MT). He said Admarc will start with the purchase of about 20 000 MT with the K20 billion allocated in the 2025/26 National Budget.
