Maize price steadily rises: Malawi vendors take advantage of hunger desperation

Malawi vendors are now selling a bag of maize at K13, 000 up from K7,000 two weeks ago, a price that is pushing up inflation steadily as other commodity prices are uncontrollably going up too.

Nyasa Times has discovered vendors are deliberating buying off maize from Admarc as soon as it lands in a bid to push the grain prices up.

“This is the worst situation of hunger in recent memory,” said a 70 year old woman, Eneless Moyo as she and other three dozen women waited for maize at an Admarc depot in Kasungu.

People in other districts also spoke of desperate situations, warning it is a matter of time before more people die of hunger.

Kasungu north MP Beatrice Mwale said the situation is already out of hand in her area, a statement echoed by the district agricultural development officer Jackson Mkombedzi who said the once Malawi breadbasket, Kasungu, now needs food than ever before.

Some people said Malawi Revenue Authority officials are confisticating maize the people are buying from neighbouring Zambia, an allegation we have not independently verified.

The situation is the same in most parts of the country, just weeks after Oxfarm regional manager for southern Africa Nellie Nyangw’a predicted of sharp rise in maize prices.

Oxfarm and Plan Malawi are donating relief maize and money to some few households to ease the situation. President Peter Mutharika, whose party has been donating millions of maize bags to hospitals in the past weeks, warned politicians against influencing the sale of maize in Admarc depots.

Dedza east legislator Juliana Lunguzi said Wednesday two people have died of hunger related diseases.

However Mutharika says no one will die of hunger because the country has enough grain. However the situation on the ground is contrary.