Government has reduced maize prices from K250 per kg to K170 per kg.
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Joseph Mwanamvekha made the announcement Thursday during the launch of relief maize distribution in Traditional Authority Chigaru in Blantyre.
According to Mwanamvekha, Admarc depots will be opened immediately to start selling maize at the cheaper price.
Meanwhile, government has said it will give a bag of maize each to 432,729 food insecure households in 26 districts of the country.
The once-off distribution to be carried out by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) will start from this month.
It will target acute food-insecure households in 26 districts of the country as government awaits the final Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report and development of the 2018/2019 Food Insecurity Response Plan.
“Each food-insecure household will receive a 50kg bag of maize and this will be followed by the MVAC response,” said Mwanamvekha.
The relief maize will be distributed to households in Blantyre, Neno, Chiradzulu, Mulanje, Thyolo, Phalombe, Mwanza, Machinga, Mangochi, Balaka, Zomba, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Karonga, Mzimba, Rumphi, Chitipa, Dowa, Mchinji, Kasungu, Ntchisi, Dedza, Ntcheu, Lilongwe, Nkhotakota and Salima.
In the 2017/18 agriculture season, many households failed to harvest enough due to prolonged dry spells and a severe outbreak of Fall Army Worms.
THIS IS NOT REDUCING RATHER RISING THE COST OF BUYING FROM VENDORS, BECAUSE WE ARE BUYING IT AT K7500 AND YOU ARE SAYING YOU ARE PUTING IT AT K 170 PER KG WHICH MEANS K8200 PER BAG ARE GOING CLAZZY?