By Wezzie Gausi:
The National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) is finalising plans for its 2025-26 maize procurement, a senior official has said.
NFRA Chief Executive Officer George Macheka said the agency remains committed to maintaining the Strategic Grain Reserves and stabilising maize prices.
In the 2025-26 national budget, the government has allocated K60 billion to NFRA for the purchase of maize.
Macheka acknowledged concerns over potential supply constraints due to poor rainfall during the 2024-25 growing season.
“To address this, we have developed a flexible procurement strategy that will prioritise local purchases, supporting Malawian farmers as long as supply meets demand without distorting market prices,” Macheka said.
“If domestic supply falls short, we will engage regional partners for strategic imports,” he added.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture Chairperson Sameer Suleman has called on the Treasury to allocate more funds to NFRA and the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) to ensure timely grain purchases.
Recently, NFRA imported 20,000 metric tonnes (mt) of maize from Tanzania to bolster reserves.
Macheka justified the decision, saying it was driven by factors such as low cost and the need to stabilise prices.
He said the agency could only have secured 11,000mt within the same budget had it opted for local procurement.
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