Shepherd Bushiri offers maize
Leader of Enlightened Christian Gathering, Shepherd Bushiri, has offered to sell maize to the Malawi Government at a subsidised price in what he claims is “an effort to save vulnerable Malawians”.
The self-styled prophet made the offer Monday at a press briefing in Blantyre.
“Due to my keen interest in the food security, I have been following the food situation in Malawi, including unstable maize prices.
“I am shocked to note the drastic change in [maize] prices within a short period. This November, the price has moved from K200 per kilogramme to K320 per kilogramme,” he said.
Bushiri said the decision has come as a response to food projection report by Famine Warning Systems Network which foretells that between October 2019 to March 2020, southern parts of Malawi will have food shortage due to heavy rains and flooding.
“I am informed that the government has called on traders and farmers who have maize to sell to Admarc [Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation] at K230 to K250 per kilogramme with a specific deadline. I will continue to directly help Malawians with free maize distribution under Shepherd Bushiri Foundation.
“However, should the traders fail to supply by the deadline, I am offering to source maize for the government at the suggested price,” Bushiri said.
Minister of Information, who is also the government’s spokesperson, Mark Botomani, said the government is yet to take a position regarding Bushiri’s offer.
“I need to do thorough consultations before commenting [particularly on Bushiri’s offer]. Suffice to say, the government has opened to traders to bring maize to Admarc depots; we want to stock Admarc depots across the country,” Botomani said.
In October this year, the government announced that over 1 million Malawians do not have enough food to take them to the next harvest season.
Mathews Kasanda is a journalist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Malawi (The Polytechnic).
In 2015, Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded him the Best Print Media Education Journalist of the Year accolade.
He joined Times Group Newsroom in September 2019.
