Rice farmers have expressed concern over low prices of the crop in Nkhotakota district.
Malawi24 caught up with small scale farmers in the district who said the current rice price per 50 kilogram bag is unsatisfactory.
One of the farmers Moreen Chimbiri told Malawi24 that the current minimum and maximum prices of rice are not convincing.
“Just imagine, the minimum price is MK7,000 and the maximum price is MK9,000 per bag weighing 50 kilograms,” she told Malawi24.
According to Chimbiri, initially prices were promising despite high supply of the crop in the district and Malawi at large.
She told this publication that although the supply of the crop is high, the demand was promising.
“Soon after harvesting, the demand of the crop was high that gave us hope that this year more profits will be realised.
“Things turned around when the market was flooded with excess rice crop that is making buyers to take advantage of bidding at lower price,” she told Malawi24.
She disclosed that soon after harvesting, the crop was sold at MK14,000 per bag weighing 50 kilograms but all of a sudden excess supply led to massive dwindling of the price.
She disclosed that lower price may be determined by prohibition of rice crop from being sold outside the country.
According to Chimbiri, this is making rice that is in abundance in the country to be sold at low price.
President Peter Mutharika ordered that crops such as maize, tobacco and rice must not be sold out of the country.
Most farmers in Nkhotakota district cultivated the rice thinking that they may realise huge profits like in the past growing season.
Last growing season, the minimum price of the crop was MK15,000 and maximum price was MK20, 000 per 50 kilogram bag.
57 thoughts on “Rice prices have farmers wailing while buyers are happy”
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Supply is high dnt forget this is malawi
yea thats true , it is a great concern that farmers toiled in their fields so that they can have a bumper yields which may give them alot of income after liquidify them into cash after sales but it is an irony to them to tell them about this for the prices they are getting now are just there to favour the buyers … so its really sad
Mpunga wabooka kofuna tiwuwonetse mbwazaaaaaa
and i think atatitsitsinso za mma groceries
kkk i think munthu ndiovuta!but lets thanks for this good prices.
Government must do somsething it takes hardwork to produce rice and u make prices while drinking ur coffee at capital hill
Had it been that Chaponda is still the Minister of Agriculture we couldn’t have seen this happening, look now God has bless Malawi this year with alot of food, maize+rice is now sold at a reseasonable price, even beans, we were lacking this because satana was stealing for the poor, we have been recelving good rainfall suitable for the farm produce but the problem is that satana was controling our produce!
If we think its a problem then its general since almost all crops are affeted by low prices.