Malawi confirms maize deficit: Agriculture production down by 27.7 percent
Malawi has officially released on Tuesday the results of 2014/15 Agriculture Production estimates which show a decrease of 27.7 percent of maize production in the country.
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Allan Chiyembekeza said on Tuesday in the capital Lilongwe that maize production has decreased from 3.9 million metric tons realized in 2013/14 Agricultural season to 2.9 million tons in the current season.
“This decline is mainly attributed to floods and prolonged dry spell that the country experienced in the course of the season,” he said.
As such, he said, the implication of the reduction in maize production is that the country will have a maize deficit of 123,340 tons.
He added that the results also shows the decrease in other major food crops such as rice, cassava and sorghum while sweet and Irish potatoes have increased their production.
Cash crops such as pulses have registered a slight increase while cotton and Ground nuts have decreased, he said.
He however said his government has put in place mitigation measures to avert the looming hunger like promoting the growing of cassava and sweet potatoes, distribution of Agriculture inputs to farmers for irrigation, replenishing grain strategic reserves and distribution of small livestock among others.
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A mr food security expert got it wrong; its 3*90kgs bags per adult person and not 3*50kgs
Chimanga ndichambiri zedi chiri ndi mavenda. Vuto si chimanga koma ndalama yokagulira chimangacho. It will be waste of money to import maize because of issue of generalisation, here at nkhota kota, nkhatabay, salima, Rumphi and chitipa we do not consume corn. if u are to import food then import cassava, rice as well
Why can’t Malawi govt introduce irrigation?There is alot of water wasted in rivers and lakes yet we cry for this unpredictable rains each and every year.Deforestation is also another factor for erratic rains in Malawi.Malawi is turning into a desert little by little.All the trees have been felled down for charcoal and timber sold abroad.It needs political will to change these not some gibberish talk at sun and sand without taking any action.Why do Malawians never learn from the past mistakes?
I cry for my very poor people. ..
Promoting cassava and sweet potato yet when you go to IITA Chitedze you can’t get a cassava cutting or sweet potato vines for farmers. They keep saying they haven be??????
Let us wait for the third round figures where.The situation will be pathetic indeed.
JB anali dhilu.
Kungobwera akuluwa, miliri ikungobwera yamitundu mitundu.
Mulungu anakwiya ndi timasamu tija.
Ife takolola, enanu musova.
Zikazabvutisitsa, muzangodya zitenje za chimanga folozo kikikikikk
On the basis of the information provided by the minister, the country should have a surplus of around 650,000 and not deficit. Here is my thesis: assuming each us consume 3 fifty kg bags per annum, at an estimated population of 15 million, we just need 2.25 million metric tones. We have produced 2.9 million metric tonnes. In reality, as much as we love nsima and its variants, we each consume far less than 3 fifty kg bags per annum. I would put the figure to just less than 2 bags. Also the 15 million population figures literary means everyone… Read more »
I personally don’t believe this 27.7% deficit. to me its more than that, even 50%. corn everywhere has withered, from nsanje to chitipa to mangochi, there’s no maize anywhere so this estimation is not true
Help!!!
Is it possible that Fazilla Tembo is missing some important figure. My reading is that 3.9mt-2.9mt equals 1.0mt and not 0.123340mt. Please give proper information. Otherwise, this is important information.