Malawi has a maize deficit of 11,725 metric tonnes (mt), Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale told Parliament on Monday.
Kawale said this when he presented a ministerial statement on food availability in the country.
His statement comes at a time the food lean season has started, to run through to April next year.
According to Kawale, as at September 30 2023, the National Food Balance Sheet (FBS) compilation showed that the country has a total supply of 1,741,193mt, with the total maize requirement for the six months up to March 2024 is projected at 1,752,919 metric tonnes.
He said, from the projected maize supply, it implies that there is a maize deficit of about 11,725mt.
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“Therefore, this leaves a total domestic cereal surplus of 144,576 metric tonnes, which entails that food security situation remains stable as the maize deficit is marginal to the requirements,” Kawale said.
He observed that, as at October 31 2023, Strategic Grain Reserves’ maize stock position stood at about 59,841mt.
Kawale said procurement processes are continuing and more maize will be accumulated.
In addition, Kawale said the government is reaching out to development partners, and that discussions are at an advanced stage for additional support of about $30 million under the Contingency Emergency Response Component.
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The ministry said government believes there is maize being held by private traders in the country.
“Since the response will combine food assistance and cash transfers, the ministry believes that such maize will be put on the market. The areas where cash transfer response will be made will offer a ready market for traders, further improving the maize supply chain.
“As alluded to earlier, as part of the grain restocking efforts, the government is finalising the importation of about 30,000 metric tonnes to beef up the local grain on the local market to ensure the prices are contained,” Kawale said.
He added that the government has also engaged other governments for further assistance with food aid to alleviate hunger.
During the last meeting of Parliament, government released 12,640mt for price stabilisation in Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) markets.
As at October 27 2023, a total of 9,346mt had been drawn out, of which 6650mt have been sold.
According to Kawale, those who distributed the maize mainly targeted the Southern Region and a limited number of districts in the Centre and North.
“The second phase will be rolled out soon to expand coverage in the Central and Northern regions based on a proper assessment of the situation on the ground,” Kawale said.
He was quick to note that the government is fully aware of Malawians’ challenges regarding maize availability and food security.
“The government is committed to taking decisive actions to address these issues and ensure that no one in our nation goes hungry,” he said.
Reacting to the statement, a number of lawmakers, especially those from the Southern and Eastern Region, asked Kawale to consider improving supply of maize to their constituencies.
