The government has disclosed that Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) markets will be opened next week.
The announcement comes as maize prices continue to sour, ranging from K42,000 to K46,000 per 50 kilogramme bag in Zomba and Blantyre City, respectively.
Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale said they are working on modalities to have the country’s grain trader’s markets opened for Malawians.
The minister told Times Radio’s ‘Kulinji’ programme on Wednesday that they had finalised modalities on issues such as prices and others.
“Last week, we concluded [the activities] with a meeting that focused on setting up the prices [and other things]. Now we will be announcing the prices and, hopefully, next week the markets will be opening. I will not say the exact day but next week the markets will be opened,” he said.
Kawale further said the government had moved swiftly to address the hunger situation in the country by embarking on relief food exercises targeting vulnerable populations across the country.
“Dodma [the Department of Disaster Management Affairs] is already on the ground doing the food distribution exercise. We have already announced the schedule for the maize distribution exercise, which was supposed to start in October but we have already started it because the situation is dire on the ground,” he said.
Meanwhile, agriculture policy expert Leonnard Chimwaza has implored the government to be proactive in addressing issues related to hunger.
“The food situation assessment already showed a dim light. It meant that demand for maize will be high. We were not supposed to schedule our food distribution exercise for October, let alone opening Admarc markets late,” Chimwaza said.
He also called on the authorities to open more Admarc markets so that people can access the staple food.
On Tuesday this week, some lawmakers complained that some undeserving Malawians were benefitting from the food distribution initiative that is targeting people who have been affected by hunger.
For instance, Member of Parliament for Machinga North East, Ajilu Kalitendere, said in his area, food items were at one time received on behalf of an elderly woman who had been dead for two years.
“We are concerned with the way this food distribution [exercise] is being handled. The people who are supposed to receive these items are not benefitting. Even though we hear that the government has sent food to an area, we still find that those who were most affected by the disasters are not on the list,” Kalitendere said.
On Monday, Machinga Likwenu lawmaker Bright Msaka reported in Parliament that people in his area were facing severe hunger and that they were resorting to eating buffalo beans, locally known as chitedze.
In response, Kawale said the government was working on modalities to distribute food to families affected by hunger in 23 districts across the country.
He added that identifying beneficiaries is the responsibility of local leaders.
“All we are trying to do is make food available in all areas. Of course, we haven’t reached all the intended beneficiaries yet, but we are making efforts to send food to all affected areas. It is the duty of community leaders to identify those who truly deserve to benefit [from the initiative],” Kawale said.
Malawi is expected to face food insecurity in 2024, with the situation worsening during the lean season from October 2024 to March 2025.
Around 4.2 million people, or 20 percent of the population, are expected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity.
Admarc starts selling maize when the moisture content is at recommended levels.
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