DPP’s Vuwa asks Malawi govt to reduce maize price by half, warns on exports
Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chief whip Simon Vuwa Kaunda has said many Malawians do not have food as they have no farmland as such, government should reduce the price of maize by half so that every household can afford the staple.
Vuwa Kaunda was speaking in Parliament on Tuesday in reaction to Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu’s earlier announcement that government has lifted an export ban on maize.
He cautioned government against exporting surplus maize, saying there is no assurance of a bumper yield in the next harvest.
DPP’s chief whip said government invested a lot in Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) and there is need to ensure that the output benefits the country and not exporting the grain to feed other countries .
He said: “government should reduce the price of maize rather than exporting it. Let us make the maize accessible those that cannot afford.”
The DPP chief whip said lessons from past experience show that some people were buying maize from farmers and kept it in warehouses to be exported while the country as facing food insecurity.
However, the Finance Minister justified the lifting of the maize export ban, saying Admarc will buy enough maize from farmers to ensure that the country is food secure.
“Farmers will only keep maize for consumption,” he said.
Mlusu stressed that governmentwill ensure there is accountability for any exports that are done, saying “systems have been put in place” to monitor the exports to ensure that the money comes back to Malawi.
Vuwa, Goodall, Mwanavekha and Chaponda need panel beating.
Vuwa says “….. lessons from past experience show that….”. I wonder which past experiences these are. These must be DPP’s or UDF’s years of exploiting ofarmers; definitely not Tonse Alliance’s ways of doing things.
If this is the calibre of our law makers, we are done. No wonder we have land problems, having had such a person as a custodian of Lands.
You are right buddy. I wonder why all DPP and UDF gurus want everything implemented now when they were just mute during their mandate. Is it a default confession that there was no government business but theft for all.
Kuganiza mopepera ndipo mopusa. Munazolowera kufinya wanthu. Mlimi kumutenga ngati chotsalira. Nkuona Amalawi anakuchotsani m boma. We are in 2021 stop dreaming. You had cheap maize but PEOPLE voted you out. We want brains to run this country not stupid failures like you.
Cry my beloved country. Imagine this is what you call chief whip. Chief whip or thief whip
In the Kamuzu Banda era, maize was regarded as a food crop not really benefiting those that sold it to Admarc then. People grew beans, maize, ground nuts etc fir cash but over the years, these crops are deminishing because land has not much favoured them in most parts of the country. People are now selling maize instead at a very give away prices to vendors. K50/kg chitibule and K120/kg immediately after harvest. Think of the farm inputs which largely are not subsidised. And Vuwa Kaunda is happy to see a selling price slashed by half from the already low… Read more »
A Vuwa zanu ziii ku Maula just be waiting.
Do not listen to thieves please.
You are right. The wisest thing these bunkams should do is to apologise to Malawians each time they open their mouths than pretending that they still have some sense in them
Koma dont forget that we Malawians when we have seen food we eat like tomorrow will never come. Ndiye izi zotmiza Chimanga kunjazi one day we will pay for i. This is the first year of Tonse Alliance in government akuyenera kudekha kaye at least next farming season akhala ataiona stuation
Nanunso akadeti kodi mwatani?
Should we learn to the crooks ?
On second thoughts, I think Vuwa, being a corrupt career politician, has this story in mind: A couple of decades ago, Malawi had enough maize in its silos to see us through tough times. But it was quite an old harvest, so our “international partners” advised us to sell off the stuff and use the proceeds to buy fresh maize for the silos, because the old maize might go bad. The UDF regime dutifully sold off the maize. In fact, Bakili personally eagerly sold off the maize in far-flung countries like Kenya and DRC. Being a habitual thief, however, the… Read more »
Vinkhungu nthama nyuku
Even if the ban is lifted who will benefit the lifting?. It will be the Burundians hire and not Malawians. They have invaded Malawi as I doesn’t have a government. They are in every corner of the country where they are involved in smuggling of goods to and from Malawi. Surprisingly our Parliament doesn’t see this as a problem. They can’t talk about it in Parliament.
This is good move by the govt.because farming is a business not only other crops even maize too.when we export,this will encourage many farmers increase production.as a result farmers will have money.Mr Vuwa remember some do not for consumption only,but for business.Am glad that Finance minister will stock enough grain in Admarc and monitor export,there’s nothing to worry here.Hon.Minister keep it up .Osakhomelera alimi.
Zomati chaka mawa kuzakhala njala..NDE maganizo obwelera amenewo..Negative thinking.lf we have surplus let’s assist out neighbors next time it will be us getting assisted.