Karonga police blamed for illegal transportation of farm produce 

Authorities in Karonga the northern part of Malawi are attributing the increase of illegal transportation of crop production into the neighboring country to failure of Malawi police to crackdown on the smugglers describing the police laxity as a threat to the country’s food security.

This came to light during Agricultural consultative committee meeting with councillors aiming at building the relationship with the community on how improve agricultural in the district.

The District Agricultural Development Officer Lonely Shaba said every year they encounter food shortage in the country especially in Karonga because most of people sell their crops out side the country illegally.

“Here in Karonga we have a big challenge during harvest time because most people sell their crops outside the country illegally which brings food insecurity in our district and the country as a whole Malawi,” said Shaba.

Shaba added that every year “we do sensitization meetings with the community on the dangers to sell their products to un know people but our effort seems not encountering hence with the councilors in place we are hoping that the conduct of illegal transportation of crops will be reduced in the district.”

Chairperson of Councilors in the district Emmanuel Kishombe blamed this on the police officers saying they help increasing the malpractice in the district.

“We really have that problem of illegal transportation of crops into our neighboring country but on the other hand the police contribute greatly to the malpractice as they allow the smugglers pass their roadblocks,” said Kishombe.

“We have talked with the police on the same to tighten the security on the roadblocks but it seems nothing is being done because even if our boarder is porous if the security is tighten the issue can not be there.”

Karonga Police Station Officer Almakio Daka declined to comment on the matter saying “we were not consulted that they are having a meeting, so how were they discussing issue of security without security personnel, the accusation is not worth it.”