LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi is making significant strides in bridging its maize deficit, with 51,000 metric tons of the staple grain hauled from Zambia as of Tuesday, according to Arthur Mpakeni, Senior Marketing and Cooperative Officer at the National Food Reserve Agency.
Mpakeni expressed optimism that the remaining consignment would arrive before the end of March, with over 15 trucks already at the border and more on the way.
The maize importation is part of a larger effort to support over 4 million people affected by hunger during the lean period, which typically ends in March.
Frank Banda, Director and Spokesperson for the Transporters Association of Malawi, expects all the maize to be hauled into the country by April, weather permitting.
The maize importation is a joint effort between the Malawian and Zambian governments, with Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development Roza Mbilizi and her Zambian counterpart Ruben Mtolo witnessing the dispatch of the first consignment in Chipata, Zambia.
The goal is to have all the maize in Malawi before March, to support households in need of food assistance.
However, despite the progress made so far, there is still a deficit of 59 billion kwacha in both cash and kind, out of a total budget of 209.4 billion kwacha for the 2025-2026 lean season food insecurity response program.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee’s 2025 report projected that over 4 million Malawians were at risk of severe food insecurity during the 2025-2026 lean season.
The situation highlights the country’s reliance on imports to meet its maize needs, with the World Food Program projecting a maize deficit of 1.2 million metric tons or 33% of harvest in June last year.
The National Agriculture and Food Security Strategy aims to increase maize production to 3.7 million metric tons, but the country still faces a significant deficit.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development has been banking on irrigation to cover the maize deficit and stabilize prices, but agriculture policy experts have cast doubt on the practicality of this strategy, citing the limited irrigable land available.
With only 56,113 hectares of irrigable land, the ministry’s goal of producing 337,000 metric tons of maize seems ambitious, and the country remains vulnerable to food insecurity.
