The Ministry of Agriculture has announced the minimum prices for selling agriculture products for the 2023/2024 farming season in the country.
According to a Press Statement released on Thursday and signed by Principal Secretary for the Ministry, Dickxie Kampani, prices for Malawi’s staple food (maize and rice) have been priced at a minimum of 650 kwacha per kilogram.
According to the Ministry, the prices have been recommended by a team of technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Trade, Malawi Investment and Trade Centre, LUANAR, Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM), NASFAM, ADMARC, GTPA, and other stakeholders who met to share the findings in March this year.
“With immediate effect, the minimum prices in kwacha per kilogram for sorghum is 600, finger Millet 600, soya beans 800, pure beans 1200, mixed beans 900, white Harriot beans 1200, groundnuts shelled 1200, groundnuts unshelled 800, pigeon peas 700, cowpeas 750, Bambara Nuts 750, Sesame 1300, Sunflower 650, Paprika 1500, chilies 2000, cassava 450, and cotton at 900.
“The stakeholders have agreed on the need for special regulations to enforce the minimum farm gate prices. This measure was successfully implemented during the increased cases of Covid 19 demonstrating our commitment to maintaining these prices,” indicated the statement.
The Ministry has also revealed that it will collaborate with the Ministry of Finance to provide the necessary funding to the Malawi Police Service to ensure the enforcement of the announced prices.
Malawi is expected to have less harvest in the 2023/2024 farming season due to natural disasters caused by the El Nino weather that saw some areas experiencing heavy rains thereby causing floods, while some areas experienced prolonged dry spells that forced state President Lazarus Chakwera to declare a state of national disaster.
