By Chisomo Kambandanga & Feston Malekezo:
About 40 tonnes of maize which Tanzania trader Josophat Chingula imported into Malawi are being held at Nkhata Bay jetty.
The commodity was imported by boat through Lake Malawi.
A Ministry of Agriculture official said the maize is being held following a recent directive by the ministry, which restricted the importation of maize from Tanzania and Kenya, where cases of a devastating disease called Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) have been recorded.
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Northern Region Senior Deputy Director of Agriculture and Research Services Tony Maulana said the move is aimed at protecting the country from MLN, which has been registered in the two countries.
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MLN poses a severe threat to maize production as plants with the disease are often barren and the ears formed are small, with no or a few deformed seeds.
In worst cases, the disease can cause 100 percent yield loss.
“This consignment came through the jetty by boat from Tanzania and we told them that it cannot be sold as grain because people might be tempted to plant it, in the process spreading the disease.
“Although we have not done laboratory tests, Tanzania announced that they have the disease in their country and this is a protective measure,” Maulana said.
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He said those who are in custody of the commodity have been advised against moving any maize from the jetty warehouse to Blantyre, where it was destined, or any district as anything can happen during the transportation process.
“We have, however, ordered them to mill the maize into flour or grit right here in Nkhata Bay so that it is not used as seed anywhere in Malawi,” he added.
Sunday, Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dixie Kampani told The Daily Times that this should serve as a reminder to people that the ban is still intact.
Kampani advised traders to abide by the Ministry of Agriculture’s directive or face inconveniences.
Nkhata Bay Jetty Manager Douglas Ndindi said Sunday that the maize arrived at the jetty on Wednesday, when they informed officials at the Ministry of Agriculture about the issue.
Ndindi said the maize is still in their custody as the owner has said he is waiting for empty bags to mill the maize.
Speaking in a separate interview, Chingula, who comes from Mbeya in Tanzania, said he was not aware of the ban on the importation of maize from his country.
He said he is being charged K2,400 per tonne for storage each day and that he is going to spend a lot more money on milling the grain into flour before transporting it to Blantyre, where his customers are.
“I thought that this ban was only effective on yellow maize grain. But since government has ordered us to mill the maize into flour or grit, we will abide by the order. We are, right now, in the process of purchasing sacks to pack the maize flour in.
“However, I must admit that I have made losses with this consignment because I am spending a lot of money,” Chingula said.
Following the maize importation ban, about 30 000 metric tonnes (mt) of maize destined for Malawi are still stuck in Tanzania.
Earlier, Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale said the maize is being subjected to tests to ascertain if it is consumable.
Kawale said the ministry has been working with financiers, namely the World Bank, as well as the World Food Programme (WFP), Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) and other offices to facilitate the delivery of the 30 000mt of maize into Malawi.
He said the first batch of 10 000mt was expected to arrive during the first week of January.
However, in an interview yesterday, Kampani said he could not commit to comment on latest developments on the issue.
“If you can consult WFP, they will be able to tell you the latest [developments] on the issue because, basically, this is a Dodma issue,” Kampani said.
The ban was effected on December 14 2023.
