Shortage of fuel, especially petrol, has returned in some parts of the country.
In Blantyre, the problem started on Thursday and it got worse yesterday as most fuel stations we checked did not have the commodity in stock.
We visited several filing stations in Chilomoni, Naperi, Nyambadwe, Machinjiri, Bangwe and Central Business District of Blantyre where we found motorists in long queues waiting for fuel to be delivered.
However, diesel was available in most of the filling stations. The situation was similar in Zomba and Lilongwe where long queues of cars in pump stations were spotted.
In Mzuzu, the problem was not as serious as in the other cities as the fuel was available in some filling stations.
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The challenge is taking its toll on citizens, as testified by some of the people we spoke to yesterday.
“We have come here at 4am. We were told that fuel will be delivered later in the day but this is 1pm and there is no sign of any fuel tanker,” Christopher Misowa, a motorcycle operator we found at Petroda Filling Station at Clock Tower in Blantyre said.
A minibus operator, Andrew Misoya, said he has been struggling to refuel his vehicle since Thursday afternoon.
“Fuel challenges affect our revenue because imagine from yesterday I have been struggling to refuel. We cannot meet our daily target and this affects our income to properly take care of our families,” he said.
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In most areas of Blantyre, travellers were seen spending longer time that usual in bus stops as only few minibuses were operating.
Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority spokesperson Fitina Khonje said they are aware of the situation and said that the shortage is due to forex scarcity.
The country has been going through persistent fuel challenges since 2021 with authorities attributing it to foreign exchange scarcity.
Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) Executive Director John Kapito recently told us that shortages can lead to reduced or disrupted transportation services, delayed deliveries of goods, increased transportation costs and overall inefficiencies in supply chains.
Malawi’s economy relies on agriculture and fuel scarcity can severely impact the sector, especially for farmers who depend on fuel to run machinery such as tractors and irrigation systems, as well as transport produce to markets, experts say.
