Government has reversed its maize import plans and will now prioritise buying from local medium and large-scale farmers to stock national grain reserves.
Controller of Agricultural Extension and Technical Services, Alfred Mwenifumbo, said the new administration will prioritise locally produced maize – over importation to promote and support farmers to boost agricultural production, a key pillar in the Democratic Progressive (DPP) manifesto.
In a memorandum addressed to all mega farmers, Mwenifumbo explains that the decision to import maize to satisfy national demand was driven by assumptions of limited local availability of maize as well as high cost as compared to external sources.
“By sourcing the maize locally, the new government not only conserves the scarce foreign currency but also demonstrates its firm commitment to empowering Malawian commercial farmers as expressed in its manifesto,” the memorandum, dated 11 October 2025, reads in part.
To expedite the process, the Ministry Agriculture will have a meeting with farmers at Mega Farm Support Department Offices in Kanengo, Lilongwe on Tuesday, 14 October 2025.
The agenda includes discussing a proposed competitive purchase price aimed at encouraging farmers to release their current maize stock for immediate sale to the government through NFRA and ADMARC.
The meeting will also assure mega farmers of the government’s revitalized commitment to providing agricultural production inputs support for medium and large-scale commercial farming in Malawi.
Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Malawi Agricultural and Industrial Investment Corporation are also visiting the farmers to assess and establish the availability and quantities of maize stocks in the custody of these farmers.
Last week, Farmers Union of Malawi President Maness Nkhata commended President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika for putting agriculture among his priorities.
