By Cathy Maulidi:
Farmers, primarily those in rural areas, are selling unharvested maize and other crops at significantly reduced prices to unscrupulous vendors, The Daily Times has learned.
Spot-checks conducted in Nathenje and Maliri areas in Lilongwe and Kasungu in the Central Region revealed that some farmers are selling unharvested maize at K20,000 per 50-kilogramme (kg) bag.
We have further established that the maximum they are selling a 50kg bag of maize at is K30,000.
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According to information gathered directly from the farmers, the arrangement involves vendors approaching farmers who have maize or other crops in the field and agreeing on the estimated yield at harvest time.
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“If the field is estimated to produce 50 bags of maize weighing 50 kilogrammes each, as determined by both parties, the buyer pays for 50 bags weighing 50 kilogrammes on the spot. When harvest time comes, the buyer goes to the area to collect the maize. We simply hand over the field to the one who bought the produce,” a Nathenje farmer said.
Several farmers in the aforementioned areas confirmed selling their unharvested maize.
When asked about their reasons for selling produce prematurely, one farmer responded: “We lack funds with which to address pressing challenges. As such, selling the unharvested grain is our only option.”
During a recent meeting with members of the Agriculture Committee of Parliament, Principal Secretary for Agriculture responsible for irrigation Geoffrey Mamba said the country had been fortunate this year.
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He said while crop estimates were pending, good yields were expected due to favourable rainfall in many districts.
“God has been generous to us and we anticipate a good harvest, which will subsequently lower maize prices,” Mamba said.
However, committee chairperson Sameer Suleman urged ministry officials not to be complacent, citing unverified reports that some farmers were selling unharvested maize.
Suleman said the practice raised concerns about potential future food shortages.
“Simply stating that God has been generous to us this year is insufficient, as it overlooks other critical factors.
“Farmers have already begun selling unharvested maize, potentially leading to another disaster. We must take action or prepare accordingly as we are, undoubtedly, creating conditions for future hunger,” he said.
The committee chairperson further implored the ministry to allocate sufficient resources for maize purchase.
He said the purchased maize could be stored in the Strategic Grain Reserves, which are managed by the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), to help the country mitigate any potential crisis.
While NFRA was allocated K60 billion for maize purchase this year, it requires K150 billion.
As at now, a 50kg bag of maize is fetching K100,000 or more at the market.
Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has issued a warning against the trend of selling unharvested crops to unscrupulous traders.
In a statement which Dodma Commissioner Charles Kalemba has signed, the department expresses “inconceivable disbelief” at the practice, which it deems detrimental to food security.
It further says the practice undermines the government’s efforts to provide relief services to millions of food-insecure people.
“A ground investigation into this practice has revealed that traders are exploiting marginalised and vulnerable communities in rural areas, with chiefs often facilitating the transactions in exchange for ‘tokens of appreciation’, thereby exacerbating food insecurity in the country,” the statement read.
Dodma has expressed dismay at the growing prevalence of this practice, particularly when the government, through Dodma and humanitarian partners, is actively providing relief to over 5.7 million food-insecure people nationwide.
Dodma warns that, with global economic challenges and diminishing donor aid, mobilising resources for food insecurity response would be increasingly difficult, such that community members have been urged to exercise caution when handling issues related to crop yield.
“The department calls upon councils, agricultural service committees, village/area disaster risk management committees, village/area development committees, and relevant stakeholders to educate and warn communities against the widespread and reckless sale of their harvests,” Kalemba says.
