By Daniel Zimba:
Agriculture policy experts have urged President Peter Mutharika to expedite the appointment of key Cabinet ministers, among them the one responsible for the agriculture portfolio.
They say, with the 2025-26 wet season around the corner, there is no time to waste.
On Wednesday last week, Mutharika’s new administration saw the inauguration of three Cabinet ministers.
At the event, Mutharika indicated that, apart from Cabinet ministers, he was remaining with 200-plus people to appoint to various pubic positions.
Agriculture policy experts Tamani Nkhono Mvula and Leonard Chimwaza have since said the appointment of an agriculture minister would serve as a boost to food security efforts.
Their sentiments are coming at a time the recent Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) report has indicated that an estimated four million Malawians (22 percent of the population) are expected to face severe food shortages during the October 2025 to March 2026 lean season while over six million people (33 percent of the population) are struggling to meet their basic needs without resorting to negative coping strategies.
The 2025 assessment was completed in July 2025, with the results being released this month.
Nkhono Mvula said the delayed release of the 2025 Mvac report could hinder government efforts to ensure food security in the country.
“We must urgently address the food crisis while simultaneously preparing for the next season. Delays in both the release of the Mvac report and ministerial appointments could worsen food insecurity,” Nkhono Mvula said.
He added that the absence of an agriculture minister was causing setbacks in planning for farm inputs programmes and other interventions, as farmers remain eager to access affordable resources necessary for successful farming.
Chimwaza echoed Mvula’s sentiments, describing the late release of the Mvac report and appointment of agriculture minister as unfortunate and potentially slowing down responses to the needs of food-insecure people.
“If the report had been released on time, necessary support could already have been reaching those in need,” Chimwaza said.
Meanwhile, speaking in a radio programme called ‘Kulinji’ on Times radio, Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha said the government was negotiating with international partners to secure funding for urgent development needs, including food security.
Mwanamvekha also disclosed that the Mvac report was delayed for political reasons under the previous administration, claiming that the authorities at that time were concerned that the findings could undermine their government’s chances of winning in the September 16, 2025 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections.
When we reached out to former Agriculture minister Sam Kawale for a comment on the matter, he referred the inquiries to the ministry’s principal secretary, who could not be reached for a comment.
