The National Food Reserve Agency has said it has issued over 100 contracts to farmers for maize production through irrigation, targeting to produce 25,000 metric tonnes (mt) this winter.
NFRA Chief Executive Officer George Macheka said in an interview on Tuesday that they seek to boost the Strategic Food Reserves and address the food crisis induced by El Nino weather.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee projects that over 4.1 million people will face hunger in the 2024- 25 lean period due to low agricultural productivity.
But Macheka said the authority has a supply of slightly over 60,000 metric tonnes of maize stock, representing a 50 percent deficit from the 120,000mt Strategic Grain Reserve requirement.
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“The quantity that is kept by this country under the Strategic Grain Reserves is not only kept by NFRA, we also have maize and maize flour being procured by Admarc and World Food Programme,” Macheka said.
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The World Bank, through the Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option financing mechanism, released $57.6 million responding to the government’s plea for support.
Macheka said under the programme, the authority has contracted farmers with capacity for irrigation farming including large scale producers like State-owned Salima Sugar Company and the Malawi Defence Force to produce the maize.
“Most of the farmers have already signed the contracts and some already planted the maize,” Macheka said.
Recent publications from Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicate that from June to September 2024, southern Malawi districts are expected to face significant food shortages, categorised as IPC Phase 3 Crisis outcomes.
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Economics Association of Malawi President Bertha Chikadza said increasing maize supply could lower market prices and mitigate food inflation.
“This will also help reduce our maize import bill and helpe us save on foreign exchange,” Chikadza said.
However, she pointed out that this will require substantial boosts in maize production through large-scale farming, with institutions like NFRA playing a critical role as off-takers.
Government would need around 410,000mt of maize to feed the 4.1 million people at risk of hunger, with each person requiring approximately 100 kilogrammes annually.
