Harvest cuts food prices, but logistics keep non-food prices high, expert says

An economic expert has attributed the report by the National Statistical Office consumer price index which shows a drop in food inflation to seasonal harvesting and said rising logistics and fuel costs were keeping non-food prices high.

Economic expert, Happy Chirwa said the consumer price index reflected conditions on the ground and showed food inflation falling as the harvesting period began in late February and ran through March.

“If you look at the time when you see the drop in prices for food items, that drop is coming because we are in the harvesting period,” Chirwa said. 

He said non-food inflation painted a different picture noting that rising costs in transport logistics and supply chains were driving the sustained increase.

To bring stability, Chirwa called for increased production to boost forex inflows and ease pressure on fuel prices. 

“We need to have activities, increase our production, which will bring in a lot of forex, so that the availability of forex is there, trade facilitation is there, and fuel prices should go down. If we manage to bring down fuel prices, then things will try to balance,” he said.

Malawi’s National Statistical Office reported that month-to-month inflation fell to -2.5 percent in April 2026, driven by a 5.6 percent drop in food prices, while non-food inflation rose to 2.6 percent over the same period.