The first train since 1993 arrived at Liwonde depot last week, delivering 1,000 metric tons of maize.
This is what it would have cost the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) to transport 1000 metric tons of maize from Kanengo in Lilongwe to its Liwonde depot by road; 33 trucks, two weeks of loading, paperwork and travel. Over K67 million in expenses.
But today, the same consignment is moved by train—for just K35 million.
At exactly 4:30 pm on April 02, 2025, a cargo train carrying 1000 metric tons of maize from Kanengo transported the commodity to Liwonde ADMARC depot. Of the 1000 metric tons, 603 have been offloaded for distribution across the Liwonde Division, which serves Mangochi, Zomba and Machinga districts.
The remaining tonnage is destined for Chartland depot in Limbe, Blantyre, where it will be dispatched to ADMARC selling points across the Southern Region.
Since Malawi’s transition to a multi-party democracy in 1993, the country’s railway infrastructure had been largely sidelined, favouring instead road transport to move agricultural produce such as maize and to haul fuel from neighbouring countries.
But now, ADMARC is taking a different track — literally and figuratively.
Rashid Mpinganjira, Liwonde Division Manager, affirms that if this tonnage was to be ferried by trucks, it would have required 33 trucks of 30 metric tons each.
“We have saved K33 million using rail transportation,” he said.
By tapping into the long-overlooked railway network, the company not only cuts costs but also “reduces delays, vehicle congestion and the risk of spoilage,” said Mpinganjira.
Revamping ADMARC
In August 2022, Capital Hill suspended the state produce trader ADMARC and sent its entire staff on paid leave as part of an exercise to redefine its functions to serve Malawians better.
Former Agriculture Minister, Lobin Lowe, had stated that the company’s continued poor performance necessitated the move, which saw shareholders suspending all its services except social services.
Other factors included prolonged conflicts between the ADMARC board of directors and management, leading to poor governance, abuse of company finances and theft by some employees.
Barely a fortnight after firing its entire staff, the state produce trader commenced the recruitment process of about 2,000 new employees as part of its restructuring process.
To date, the company’s operations are in full swing. Mpinganjira attributes the revival of the new transportation system to the restructuring process that the grain trader continues to undergo.
“One of the overarching agendas of this restructuring is that we want to be cost-effective as much as possible and be efficient in serving our customers,” he explained.
Rail transport once played a crucial role for farmers across the country to move their farm produce to markets across the country affordably.
For smallholder farmers like Jamila Amidu, 42, from Liwonde Township in Machinga, the shift in direction brings hope.
“Apart from directly impacting our livelihoods, the train can additionally help transform smaller railway stations into major farm produce loading hubs,” she said. “This will boost economic activities. My parents always talked about how during their time when the train was operational, people were involved in economic activities and lived better lives.”
Strengthening food security
Tamani Nkhono Mvula, a seasoned agriculture expert, says that rail transportation of food crops will help to ensure a steady supply of food to urban and rural areas, thereby enhancing food security.
“It will enable transporters, especially commodities such as grain and other non-perishable commodities, to be transported in bulk to the closest markets,” Stated Mvula. “Reduced transportation costs mean that agricultural produce like maize will be available for all days in our local markets. The availability of farm produce will make them cheaper and more affordable to consumers,” he said.
Mvula opines that this mode of transportation will not only strengthen food security but will also protect the environment. “We need to have fewer trucks on the roads because not only does it lead to congestion, but it contributes to increased carbon emissions,” Mvula explained.
He believes that there would also be fewer road accidents and the quality of road maintenance would improve.
The big picture
The transportation of maize through rail by ADMARC follows rail maintenance work that the government has been executing since 2021. The results are beginning to show.
Last September, for the first time in four decades, Malawi received a fuel train following the rehabilitation of its railway line, which had been in disrepair for years. The train carried 1.2 million liters of fuel from Beira, Mozambique, to Lilongwe.
President Lazarus Chakwera, who inaugurated the train’s arrival, called it a “great milestone” for the country, stating that it would significantly contribute to Malawi’s socioeconomic development.
“For 42 years, our railway lines were in ruins, and we have relied on trucks to import fuel, a costly method. Today, we witnessed the first fuel train in many years, thanks to the rehabilitation of the system. Chakwera said. My government was committed to fixing systems to improve living standards.
Economist Gift Gongwe called the move a “step in the right direction” for Malawi’s economy, noting that the shift to rail transport would result in significant savings in fuel transportation costs.
Privatisation, decline and hope for a comeback
In 1999, the Central East Africa Railways (now Nacala Logistics), which currently operates 706 km of single-track line, signed a concession agreement with the government allowing the former to operate the rail transport.
The move to privatise the railway was driven by the need to improve the transport efficiency within Malawi and between Malawi and Nacala Port, to reduce the government subsidies for the railway, and to encourage private investment.
Although rail once handled most of the country’s freight, over the years, service has dwindled in favour of road transport.
Now that ADMARC has revamped transportation of agricultural products through rail, terming it as the cheapest and safest mode, the expectation is for the company to bring back its lost glory.
