Govt should not set maize prices – farmers

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Malawi Cotton

Government has been faulted for not involving farmers when setting prices of farm produce.

Alfred Kapichira Banda
Kapichira Banda: We want change.

Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has said it has not accepted the fact that government has set prices of farm produce.

Government recently announced that this year it will be buying maize from farmers at the price of K170 per kg.

But FUM president Alfred Kapichira said farmers toil in the fields hence are the ones who can determine prices for their farm produce.

“We have not accepted that government has set the prices of farm produce and we wonder who they have consulted in setting those prices,” said Kapichira.

He added that farmers must be allowed to decide the price of their crops not someone who does not work on the farm.

Kapichira said the price is too low considering that to produce crops it requires labour, fertilizer and so many other things hence setting prices for farmers is not a good move.