Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development is upbeat that the price of maize in the country is expected to go down further, a development which it says will boost food security at both household and national level.
Responsible Minister Roza Fachi Mbilizi said this during a visit she made together with officials from the Sustainable Agriculture Production Programme (SAPP) II to beneficiaries of the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) in the area of Senior Chief Kalumbu in Lilongwe district
The fertilizers comprising a 50 kilogrammes of NPK and another Urea bag together with one 5kg bag of maize seed, with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Speaking after inspecting a distribution warehouse in the district, the Minister hailed the $3 million IFAD funding which she noted has boosted government’s FISP initiative.
Mbilizi told reporters that through the project, there should be no hunger in Malawi adding that farmers should be motivated to work very hard in their fields to achieve food sufficiency and availability.
She indicated that government expects the price of maize to go down as shown by market trends.
“Last year same time maize was about a K110, 000 per 50 kg bag; now it’s about K50, 000. So with the FISP; if we complete it by maybe end of February or March like mid-March we should be done, we expect that we’ll have more maize in this country and that will bring the price of maize further down”.
She stated that she is happy the programme has significantly benefitted people especially young farmers hence exciting to see their participation in food production.
Mbilizi highlighted that so far, about 80 percent of beneficiaries have bought their fertilizer at a subsidized price of K10, 000 per bag which she described as a very good development.
Some people who were hoarding maize hoping to sell it later at a profit are even selling the crop at K48, 000 per 50 kg bag.
The Minister however expressed discontentment over reports of abuse especially by those charged with the responsibility of assisting farmers redeem the fertilizer at K10, 000.
“I’ve received complaints about maybe people telling the beneficiaries to add more money than the K10, 000 they are supposed to pay; and then as you have seen for yourself here after asking a lot of questions; one of the officials that are working in the area also mentioned the fact that when they scan some of the beneficiaries, they find that they don’t find fertilizer under their ID.
“So that is also what is worrying me as a Minister and as a Ministry at large but we’re dealing with that very decisively and very soon you’ll hear what we’ve done about it because the fact that they’re playing around with the ID system is very serious.”
As of 12th January, 2026, the FISP redemption rate is at 47 percent at national level, while some areas are at 60 percent.
She cited issues of fraud, mismanagement of the system as some of the challenges encountered so far but was quick to assure that they are being dealt with decisively before the end of the week.