The national Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) has said it will purchase maize from farmers at K290 per kilogramme this year translating to K14 500 a 50 kg bag.

The price represents roughly  a 32 percent increase from the initial K220 per kg.

In an interview yesterday, NFRA board chairperson Denis Kalekeni said the agency has engaged 185 farmer associations and cooperatives nationwide and it is making progress to start the maize procurement process to restock the strategic grain reserves. 

He explained that the K290 per kg price tag is for those who will take the maize to NFRA depots on their own, but NFRA mobile markets will buy maize at K270 per kg.

The strategic grain reserves in Lilongwe

Said Kalekeni: “Initially, we faced challenges as the farmers weren’t happy with the price. We believe that now the farmers are happy and will now start bringing the produce.”

However, he said with this development, the agency will have to reduce the quantity of maize to be purchased from the planned 50 000 MT to 40 000 MT.

“We don’t necessarily count it as a loss. Our intention is to see that small-scale farmers are empowered financially.

“We aim at capacitating the farmers so that they are able to procure inputs in the Affordable Inputs Programme,” said Kalekeni.

Farmers Union of Malawi president Frighton Njolomole expressed excitement with the news, urging farmers to take advantage of the good prices and sell their maize to NFRA.

“This is satisfactory and we are grateful. Obviously when farmers sell their maize to vendors, it is because of desperation.  Vendors manipulate farmers as they buy at very low prices, this trend must stop,” he said. 

In June this year, Treasury released K12 billion to NFRA for maize purchase to restock the country’s strategic grain reserves.

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