Malawi24 Editorial: Govt should reduce maize price if no one is to die of hunger

Dec 04, 2016 Politics 85
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Malawi hunger food crisis

President Peter Mutharika and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development’s recent remarks that Malawians will not die of hunger seems to just bring comfort to the victims of hunger in the country as staple grain price remain high on the market.

While we are commending the Malawi government for working around the clock to ensure that the country has maize for its citizens following persistent dry spells that left nearly half of the population in food crisis, we would like to whisper to the authorities that the amount of money that a poor Malawian is to pay for a bag will remain a challenge if something is not done.

The country’s Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) disclosed that Malawi has already imported 500 Metric Tons (MT) that is to be sold at K250 per kilogram (Kg) meaning that a bag of maize weighing 50Kgs is on the market at K12, 500.

Peter Mutharika
Peter Mutharika: Wants no one to die of hunger, but must reduce maize price.

According to authorities, the price that has been given to Malawians will just help Admarc recover the investing money that was used to buy the grains from neighboring countries and if that is the case we rate the government with five stars for doing justice to the money that was used for the purchase of maize. But if the intended purpose is to save citizens from hunger, then government has to come up with another plan of how people are to be secured with food because the price is not favorable to people who are in rural areas.

When some people are mentioning of K12, 500 they talk of airtime that they use before the end of the day while for someone living in remote area, that’s a big hustle they are going to take and a few make it to have such money to buy their needs, and with extended families they have we don’t think a bag can take them up to thirty days.

We have tried to find out how it feels to be told that you are supposed to pay the announced price at Admarc when you are in villages and the answers we got were shocking looking at how people struggle to get K1000.

For someone living in Machinga district to be specific Namandanje area under Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde to find money they are supposed to go for a wage labor and being given fifteen by fifteen meters yard (Ndime) to make ridges for that person to get K300. And those that are strong enough can go for three ndime in one day but by the time they finish that work it is always near the sunset.

We thought of elderly persons trying to get money in that way because they cannot go to someone’s place and ask to be employed as a watchman or a house keeper as such jobs are rare in our rural areas unlike in towns and we find it very impossible for a person in their 70s to have such type of work just to get K300.

During a tour we had in August in the area of chief of Nsanama in the same district, when mangoes were not matured, ready to be eaten, some families were cooking green pawpaws for a meal and they explained to us that they were eating such food because they had no money to buy maize from vendors who were selling the grains at a better price than government through Admarc now.

Malawi hunger food crisis
Maize price still high.

Having same experience we had in Machinga, some Members of Parliament (MP’s) showed no mercy with questions to the minister responsible George Chaponda on why they set such a price. His answers were that government through Admarc is just recovering the money that was used to buy the grains.

He went further explaining that a reserved stock of maize is to be distributed to such people whom we met. But looking at how that process of distributing free things in the country goes, we can confidently confirm that government is in trouble with its people.

We are talking of a process where chiefs are involved to identify those that are very poor and they opt to have names of relations to benefit or demand cash from those that wish to be listed for such initiative.

Greedy chiefs are a block to what government wish to be normal that those that are very poor must get the donation and when government starts to distribute that reserved stock of maize, we are to have such reports of chiefs demanding cash from people that are to benefit or taking on board list for names of relations.

If Mutharika’s prophesy is to be true that “no one is to die of hunger” then government must think of subsidizing the purchase of maize as pleaded by people from Saidi village, Traditional authority (TA) Malengachanzi in Nkhotakota district and to make sure that vendors are not one’s hijacking the process of buying the maize.

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85 Comments

  3. Nobody to be accused since .this is one of the final crisis to the entire world.let’s pray without stopping for good rains and soon our harvest will be enough for survival

  8. Kod anthunu mukufuna kusekereza njira zolondora nkuzipanga opress inorder 4 u to enjoy malawi yet u dont no hw hazardas is their by rural areas let mi tell u if u tink dat zilibwino chifukwa chot makoro amakuthandiza iweo si malawi ukanakhala malawi ukanaganiza za mavuto omwe anthu akumizi akukumana nawo.

  10. Very true govt should reduce the price of maize And should put a restriction over the price of maize sold by vendors. The govt should take full control to show its commitment in serving its citizens, ”love us your citizens in this dangerous times as we loved you during elections dont look at our hunger problems with abusiness eye.”

  11. Mmmmmhu DR H KB adanena kt democracy ndi nkhondo ndiimeneyi pobwerah mkumati ndine olemela kale mukudziwa kt mukuzaba GOD IS WATCHING…

  14. Chimanga chikatsika mtengo chaka chamawa alimi adzagulidwaso motsika kwambiri. Ndiye ndimmene zipangizo za ulimi zadulira sigwila. Chifike 300 basi ulimi ndiowawa.

  15. Admarc not dealing with Farmers Cooperative of Zambia directly there is a middle man who is not a government agent and Zambians are following it up

  21. Ngakhale Boma Limagula Kunja Chimanga,koma mtengowo ukhale choncho,enanu simudziwa kuti kulima ndikokwela bwanji,go to da shop findout da price ov fertiliser,u just comment on urbettercide,muzitinso atsise zipangizo zaulimi its time to respect farmers amalavi inu.

  22. Boma lirimapavuto agula chimanga kwa citizen zake anthu ayamika koma akulifinyabe kulitenga lolakwa ndi mtengo wake koma achikhala sanagule chimanga mavuto anali wosayamba eish koma muziganizire muli inuyo

  23. Please sympathize with us the growers as well. Don’t just peddle stupid views. Do you know how much it costs to produce a bag of maize?

  24. Akuti sangatsitse mtengo wa chimanga ndalama anangongola afuna abweze osauka alibe nao ntchito olo atafa chomwe aopa Iwo ndi ngongole not kufa kwa anthu osauka God intervene

  26. Koma abale pena dziko lathu likuvesa chisoni zoona inu boma kumalephela kupanga ulimi wothilila kuti lizikhala ndi chakudya zakudya zikumadula choncho chifukwa akumakagula kumayiko akunja

    1. usilu wagona pa Malawi ndiodalira munthu osauka azilima ndi khasu, zimene maiko anzathu zidatha. Ulimi wa khasu umakhala ongowonjera a kuti anthu akhale ndi chakudya.

    2. Zoona Boma Bizy Kulima Kuti Ife Tidzidya Pheee!! Huu! Ayi,mawa Tizanena Kuti Boma Likuphangila,don’t U No Dat Farming Is Buzness? Gud Wud B Dat Government Sud Supot Famaz Tu Produc Mo, Tank U.

  28. i welcome the development,it is really good to do so and i never expected it can happen like that,no time to politicise the issue either pointing fingers at each other no,it’s time to join hands to see what the lord will bless with us next year,as it is rainy season now,its time to work extra hard in our gardens,good day c u.

  32. ena m’mene aķulankhulira akuchita kuziwika kuti ndi ma supuni anyumba kuzolowera kudyesedwa thats wy akulankhula ngàti akhalira mutu

  33. Only if u buying and selling aiming to make profit,that is a business. Now my comment is,when our government needs to make profit from we poor malawians,let the government look even for increasement.but when government knows tht its opportunity is to make its citizen’s life simple when they facing it tough,then the government must reduce the price. But we dot know whether our government needs to make profit or save citizens lives.

  34. Enawatu umunthu alibe ndipo ali ngati nyama! Apa akuti boma lisatsitse mtengo wachimanga, koma kuti boma lisitse mtengo muzapeza omwewoso ali pa line ku admarc kufuna kugula chotchipa akukanachi. Ndi anthu omvetsa chisoniso mmaonekedwe awo, nkhope zawo amaoneka ngati akulira kkkkkk, mayendedwe awo ngati akufuna kugwa chifukwa miyendo yao yose imaoneka ngati yaku left.

  37. Very Sad &pathetic To See Some Pple Commenting Against Such A Good Idea. Mind You That Malawi Is A Poor Country Which Also Indicates That Most Of The Malawians Are Poor. Therefore Don’t Be Silly. We Need To Be Kind For The Betterment Of Ur Country As Problems Are Part Of Human Life

    1. Every bad things 4 Malawi are done by the previous regime e.g electricity and water problems,economy and also hunger sichoncho?We easily pulled by propagandas

  38. I wonder when i here our reader when he say “no one will die from hunger” but clinging & denianing that he cant reduce price. I do not understand what he mean by that

  41. Palibe akuyankhula mopusa apa osadzitenga ozindikira kwambiri apa,aliyense akunena maganizo ake,nkhani yachimanga 12500 ndimtengo wake ndimmene nyengo ilili,kt chimanga chitsike mphawi mukunenayo sangagule mwina mukuyankhula chifukwa simuyambe mwapita kwa admarc,mavenda chimanga amaguliratu usiku mmawa mkumangotuta,chimodzimodzi ngati nkhani timkati boma lingotsitsa fertilizer kwa wina aliyese achumawo ndiamene angatute kuika mma warehouse mwao kumagulitsa madura fukwa angamasowe chimodzimodzi chimangacho anthu achumawo akhoza kututa mkusunga chisowe kenako kukweza mtengo,fukwa mphawiyo kupeza kwake mkovuta pamene wandalamayo akangotapa ku acc ndikugula pamodzi panopo zikuwavuta chifukwa mitengo njofanana,musamaone ngati dziko likubwerera likupita likupita kutsogolo abale wanga zikomo

  44. kkkkkkk…..let’s stop buying maize 4m admark..bravo Tanzanian for bring ur cheapest Rice on Malawian soil. hurry up guy’s 20 kg is on k5000.00 only

  45. Nzonvesa chisoni kuti nkhani yofunika ngati imeneyi ena akulankhula mopusa chifukwa choti akukhuta siku ndi siku ndipo amene akulankhula mopepera chonchowo ndi anthu ongosungidwa, ongowetedwa saziwa mmene ndalama ikuvutira. Ziwani kuti sinkhani zonse zimene mukuyenera kuikapo maganizo anu ndipo simuli okakamizidwa kuteto ngati mulibe zolankhula kulibwino kupeza zichita zina.

    3. iwe kukhala msogoleri ngakhale wa dera utha kutsegula mitu anthu opusa ngati wina omwe akukakamila ma high price yoooo mbuzi yamunthu akuti #Mwiza kaya ndichani kaya akanakhala Manganya akanamuwudza kuti vuto ndi #chamba chatsika mtengo

  48. Paja Bigman profesor bwampin adatiuza kuti tizidya zicheche, mbewa ndizina zotere. ndiye ndizokaikitsa ngati mtengo wachimanga ungatsitsidweko.

  51. No the price must not be reduced. Otherwise vendors will buy the admarc maize and sell at high price. Also u don’t expect the government to sell the maize at prices lower than it bought it. Thats crazy.

    1. If the government can’t reduce the maize price because of vendors…. who is punished?

      Vendors or Malawians?

      Why is this government using ass when thinking instead of head.?

    2. The govt is simply controlling the price of maize. As it is now no vendor can sell their maize above admarc prices unless something is wrong with him. As a result maize is atleast affordable both at admarc and ordinary markets. But if admarc reduces the price, vendors will run out the admarc stocks and take advantage of any little opportunity that might arise to sell the maize at even much high prices. And the very same poor people you are talking will not be able to afford and will be out their crying. My view is the prices must be maintained and the vendors will keep on realising the maize they stored at affordable prices less than or equal to admarc prices. Vendor watilira chikuwolera chimangancho mitengo siyikwera komanso pompano tiyamba kudya chomwe tazalachi. Realise vendor time is running out.

    5. kkkkk. .it means you can’t give your children nice food fearing that other children from the neighbours will come and eat with them. .and the end you will punish your own children. why can’t you give them the nice food and close the door so that other children are not coming in??

    6. Ndagwirizana nawe jack! Mwina enawa ali ndi ndalama akumatha kukwanitsa kugula chimanga popanda vuto. Boma litsitse mtengo wachimanga basi komanso liyesetse kuti admarc iliyose mukhale chimanga chambiri kuti olo vendor akagula azisowa kogulitsa.

  56. But is not fair a bag of maize to admrc selling for K-12500.00, what about the vendor how much selling per bag, K-18.000, Yes must be reduce price.

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