Tame cost of living crisis, govt urged
Faith-based economic think-tank, Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) has urged government to address maize price volatility, which is compounding the cost of living crisis.
In its statement accompanying the Basic Need Basket report for January 2025, CfSC argues that for many Malawians, maize constitutes over 50 percent of daily food intake, as such any price increases directly reduces household food security and force families to compromise on other essential needs such as healthcare, education and housing.

The organisation said significant increases in the cost of living and elevated price of maize, which is at about K65 000 per 50 kilogramme (kg) bag, has exacerbated economic hardships, particularly for low-income earners who rely on maize as their staple food.
Reads the statement in part: “These price hikes reflect growing demand against a backdrop of insufficient supply due to the effects of climate change, poor storage practices and limited market regulation.
“The situation is particularly dire for rural and urban poor who are already struggling with stagnant wages and limited income-generating opportunities.”
To mitigate the effects of rising maize prices and sustainably achieve national and household food security, CfSC has since called for enhanced agricultural productivity, improved market regulation, promotion of crop diversification and increased investments in irrigation.
CfSC data shows that the average monthly cost of living for a family of six rose by 7.1 percent from K540 353 in December 2024 to K578 843 in January 2025.
At an average of K642 141, Zomba has emerged as the most expensive city followed by Blantyre at K632 042, Lilongwe at K601 316, Mangochi at 564 908 and Mzuzu at K545 150, while Karonga at K487 504, emerged the cheapest.
Meanwhile, retail maize prices have continued to rise, averaging K65 000 per 50 kg bag in produce markets, a situation traders attribute to wholesalers raising their prices due to uncertainties about rainfall patterns, which have led to concerns over future supply, among others.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) says limited market supply is exacerbated by rising transportation costs caused by fuel shortages and an increase in the informal exchange rate, further driving up the cost of imported inputs and goods.
In an interview yesterday, Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito said the majority of consumers are struggling.
He said: “Those that do not have access to income and are not employed survive by grace of God or from little manual work that they do.
“The majority of those working get a minimum wage below the current cost of living and it is not possible to assume employers in a frozen market like in Malawi can pay wages anywhere close to current cost of living.”
The government gazetted minimum wage is currently at K3 461.54 per day, translating to K90 000 a month.
Last week, the National Food Reserve Agency (NRFA) chief executive officer George Macheka said it will import between 9 000 and 20 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize from Tanzania because the locally available grain is fetching high prices.
He said NFRA has in excess of 50 000MT after distributing 56 000MT through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs since September 2024.
As part of the food component, maize contributes about 53.7 percent to the consumer price index, an aggregate basket of consumer goods and services used to compute inflation.
This means that any movement in the price of maize has a direct bearing on consumers.
In 2024, food inflation hit an average of 41.6 percent, affecting people’s purchasing power, but in November, the rate dropped to 33.7 percent, with year-on-year headline inflation easing to 27 percent from 32.4 percent the previous month, according to the National Statistical Office data.