Malawi Hunger: Vendors in trouble

Feb 13, 2016 Business 65
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The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has vowed to penalise traders who are found secretly storing maize in order to trigger a price increase.

In a statement signed by CFTC executive director Charlotte Malonda, the government agency says it has conducted inspections and has found that maize sellers are hoarding the commodity in order to lower supply and eventually initiate a price increase.

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Maize: Scarce in Malawi.

The agency, which among other things was set up to protect consumers from unfair trading practices, also found that vendors are charging excessive prices for the staple food and using incorrect measures and weights with  the aim of stealing from consumers.

The commission said it found instances of the malpractices in privately owned and ADMARC warehouses and selling points in Lilongwe, Mchinji and Dowa where CFTC went to monitor the availability and accessibility of maize to consumers.

Withholding of goods for speculative purposes is prohibited and is a criminal offence under Section 43(1)(g) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) and Section 6 of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).

Likewise, section 43 of the CFTA prohibits traders from charging excessive prices which are exploitative to consumers and the offence attracts a fine of MK500,000 or an amount equivalent to the financial gains of the offence, whichever is higher, and five year imprisonment upon conviction.
The country is facing a maize crisis and reports shows that vendors across the country are taking advantage of the situation as they are now selling a 50Kg bag of maize at K13,000.

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65 Comments

  1. Animals don’t think but are much,much better than we malawians, why we voted Bingu, forgetting the way his brother treated us,now we are crying, shame.

  3. This govt ndi ladyela kodi madonation onse aja akupita kuti popeza akutipatsa ndicholinga choti tigule chimanga koma boma la mw

  11. a charlotte malonda, anthu abwino bwino ngati inu mungopusitsidwapo apa. olakwitsa ali poyela kale ndiye inu mukanyula malilo a eni ake, akufuna mukhale ‘scape goat’. opita kusukulufe takuuzaniko free of change.

  12. CFTC, DID YOU PEOPLE GO TO SCHOOL? BECAUSE IF YOU HAD ACTED IN DECEMBER THE PRICES WOULD HAVE STABLISED AT AROUND K6000. NOW, IT SEEMS YOU DON’T KNOW WHO ARE HOARDING MAIZE. THEY ARE THE FRA AND ADMARC. FRA FOR NOT RELEASING ENOUGH MAIZE TO ADMARC, AND ADMARC FOR ONLY SELLING MAIZE TWO DAYS A WEEK. NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE CULPRITS, LET’S SEE YOU GET GALVANISED AND DO SOMETHING IF YOU ARE IN MALAWI.

  13. CFTC. DID MEMBERS OF THE GROUP GO TO SCHOOL? IF ANYONE IS HOARDING MAIZE IT IS THE FRA AND ADMARC.THE FRA IS NOT RELEASING MAIZE TO AD MARKETS, AND AD MARKETS ARE ONLY SELLING MAIZE TO THE PUBLIC TWO DAYS A WEEK. NOW YOU KNOW THE CULPRITS, LET’S SEE YOU IN ACTION IF YOU ARE REALLY IN MALAWI.

  14. what about thoes- your fellow dpp thieves who are conniving with Admarc officials to dubiously sweep the whole load of the maize stock from Admarc market centres, keeping in their houses,and selling it at an exorbitant price

    eg Vuwa Kaunda and Peter Mukhito and others, according to what the information the media sourced, will they be arrested? You dpp crooks stop fooling Malawians. Those high commodity prices are forged by dpp .

  15. what about thoes- your fellow dpp thieves who are conniving with Admarc officials to dubiously sweep the whole load of the maize stock from Admarc market centres, keeping in their houses,and selling it at an exorbitant price

    eg Vuwa Kaunda and Peter Mukhito and others, according to what the information the media sourced, will they be arrested? You dpp crooks stop fooling Malawians. Those high commodity prices are forged by dpp .

  16. what about thoes- your fellow dpp thieves who are conniving with Admarc officials to dubiously sweep the whole load of the maize stock from Admarc market centres, keeping in their houses,and selling it at an exorbitant price

    eg Vuwa Kaunda and Peter Mukhito and others, according to what the information the media sourced, will they be arrested? You dpp crooks stop fooling Malawians. Those high commodity prices are forged by dpp .

  22. “Secretry storing” is not an offence. Triggering prices is the right of a trader considering viz conditions:- time, down fall of money, low supply than demand just to mention few. Pachimenechi osalanga venda, mumalo mwache pezani njira yoti chimanga chipezeke paliponse moti venda mukumudandaulayo asapeze munthu wokamugulitsako. Mukatero ndiye mwamuchita penalise/mwamlanga munjila yabwino. Ndatelo ine Lawyer wamkulu. OMAFUMU OKAPELEMERA Omwa PARAMOUNT CHIEF CHIKULAMAYEMBE ku RUMPHI kuno.

  23. I am not happy with the activities of this commission , How did they allow banks to be bought by other banks. So is the commission established for vendors ??

  26. We Malawians we have got all the reasons to thank GOD, in other countries if they say there is hunger u can’t see a grain of maize or rice

  28. inu a CFTC ndinu onama munthu wasunga chimanga chake kuchokera nthawi yokolora mumpangile ndinu,anthu akamamuda peter mukuyambisa ndinu.

  29. the decision is good but has come too late.pipo have suffered much in Admarcs for instance my grany slept at Admarc 3 days,beaten just to buy 10 kg nevertheles vendors were buyin 50 kg at once.the decision doesnt make sense as time has already gone and now its dawn very soon our maize wll get matured.let vendors continue buying as they have done all these months and let poor suffer as we have agoverment that thinks too late.u want to save ppo whle already destruction? mtima wa alimba musawakumbuse please.goverment has to thnk fast than ths stupd.

  30. mwandinyasa polemba kut Malawi hunger muziganiza popanga ma aticles anu zopusa zimenezo kut yipitsa if ayi mukanango kamba zama vendawo osat Malawi hunger why who r u?

  31. BUY YOUR BAGS OF RICE IN A LOWER PRICE OF #5,500 CALL THE MARKETING OFFICER CUSTOM DEBORAH 07039392671 FOR MORE INFORMATION Royal umbrella=5,500 Mama Gold=5,500 Royal stallion=5,500 Otunba=5,500 Rising sun=5,500 Special rice=5,500 Mama Africa=5,500 Royal crown=5,500 Ade Brazil=5,500 Elephant Gold=5,500 Super eagle=5,500 PJS=5,500 Tomato rice=5,500 Caprice =5,500 WE DELIVER TO ANY STATE IN NIGERIA 1,BAGS IS #500, NAIRA FOR DELIVERY THANK U Website: http://www.customs.gov.ngz

  36. The maize that Malawi Government is donating,is it from Malawi or outside Malawi?

  47. Ngat Admarc Ikukanika Kusunga Chimanga Chokwanila Kut Amalaw Asafe Ndi Njala , Ndie Popeza Anthu Adapenya Akusunga Okha Muwapangire Mtengo Ndinu?Chimenecho Ndie Chamba Kulephera Pamodz Ndi Peter Wanuyo Zakuvutan Mukamapanga Ma Cashgate Anuo Muzidalira Anthu Azikupezeran Chimanga? Zakuvutani Bas

  48. Ngat Admarc Ikukanika Kusunga Chimanga Chokwanila Kut Amalaw Asafe Ndi Njala , Ndie Popeza Anthu Adapenya Akusunga Okha Muwapangire Mtengo Ndinu?Chimenecho Ndie Chamba Kulephera Pamodz Ndi Peter Wanuyo Zakuvutan Mukamapanga Ma Cashgate Anuo Muzidalira Anthu Azikupezeran Chimanga? Zakuvutani Bas

    1. mwachedwa mukadalandira nawo, wagawira chimanga midzi 10 dzina and dzana wagawira anthu ovutika ako dowa lero ali kulirongwe mawa adzankhala ku mzuzu , ndiye iwe ukuti chani?

  54. mwaona zakudimba zacha mpamene muziti ife chani? mudali kuti palibe anthu amagona ndinjala? inu ndinu woipawo chifukwa mwarekerera anthu akuvutika!

  55. Mmmm there’s no need to penalise them as the gvt has failed to make maize available at admarc,tivomeleze ku malawi kuno kt zativuta basi

    1. abwana tiyeni tiyamikire boma likapanga bwino………it seems you are one of the people who doesnt wish malawi well.simukudziwa kuti one reason for scarcity of maize in admarc depot is the vendors?

    2. Hahahahahahaha apa we need to accept that everything is wrong. There is no way they can punish a vendor or anyone for holding maize. Unless he/she is a official of admarc

  59. Government is supposed to give the maximum price of selling maize,in order to avoid this situation. Thanks to WFP and other NGOs to the provision of maize to some poor people in the country.

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