By Pemphero Malimba:
The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture says there is a need for the government to implement a ban on vendors who are purchasing maize from smallholder farmers across the country.
The committee’s chairperson, Sameer Suleman, made the statement while commenting on the progress of maize purchases by the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA).
Suleman suggested that banning vendors from purchasing maize from smallholder farmers could help ensure sufficient local procurement by the government.
“The government should prohibit vendors from buying maize until Admarc [Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation] and NFRA have acquired enough maize for the country,” he said.
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The lawmaker added that Malawi has not produced sufficient maize this year.
“From the current situation, it appears the government will struggle to buy sufficient maize due to inadequate production, prompting us to urgently source maize from neighbouring countries to bolster our stocks,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale had not commented on the matter by press time.
But agriculture policy expert Leonard Chimwaza argued that banning vendors from purchasing maize from smallholder farmers was not ideal for the country.
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“That decision is not beneficial considering our market liberalisation policy. While acknowledging our maize deficit, we should not adopt measures that hinder economic activity in the country,” Chimwaza said.
He urged the government to equip its agriculture agencies with technologies for moisture management in produce.
Chimwaza said this would ensure NFRA and Admarc purchase maize and other crops during harvesting time to build adequate stocks.
Meanwhile, NFRA Chief Executive Officer George Macheka reported that since May this year, the agency has procured at least 8,300 metric tonnes of maize from farmers nationwide.
“We aim to purchase around 60,000 metric tonnes, supported by K22 billion from the government and $20 million from the World Bank,” Macheka said.
He expressed optimism in achieving the target soon.
According to Macheka, the process encountered challenges when they returned at least 1,000 metric tonnes of maize from farmers who delivered wet maize to NFRA depots.
“We are pleased that currently, farmers are delivering dry maize and we ensure maize is tested before purchase,” he said.
He added that NFRA plans to enlist experts soon to conduct maintenance on eight silos requiring attention.
“Only eight out of our 48 silos at Kanengo need maintenance. We will soon advertise to engage experts for this work and we assure Malawians that the maize we purchase will be stored securely,” he said.
The 2024 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report indicates that 4.2 million people face hunger risk from June to September this year.
