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(NYASATIMES) Maize available on market but no buying power –report

Maize available on market but no buying power –report
By Nyasa Times
Published: October 3, 2010

Malawi has readily available maize stocks in the markets and prices for the staple food have remained stable but there is no buying power, a food security outlook update by Fews-Net says.

A report by Fews-Net, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID), says maize is readily available in all of the markets and prices between have stayed well below the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) price projections of MWK 60-MWK 70/kg.

“However, despite the increasingly favorable maize prices, most households are unable to access maize due to lack of income,” says the report.

According to the report, private traders have increased maize sales in all local markets in the food insecure districts in the southern part of the country while moving maize from the central region districts of Ntcheu, Dedza, Lilongwe, and Nkhotakota.

This, the report noted, has resulted in increased competition which has stabilized maize prices in the food insecure districts.

Average prices of maize in monitored markets in southern Malawi increased from MWK 32.49/kg in July to an average of MWK 34.72/kg reflecting an increase of 6.25 percent.

In the northern region of Malawi, maize prices fell from an average of MWK 31.03/kg in July to MWK 30.79/kg in August.

In the central region, maize prices moved from MWK 25.49/kg in July to MWK 34.72 in August.

“Despite maize being readily available in local markets at favorable prices in the food insecure areas, most of the households have little-to-no income to buy from the market,” said the food security outlook report.

The report also notes that there has been oversupply of sweet potato, pigeon pea, and cassava harvests improving the highly food insecure areas in Thyolo, Mulanje, Phalombe, Zomba, and Balaka districts to become moderate food insecurity.

Due to an oversupply of these crops, the prices have reportedly fallen.

But Malawians feel strongly about maize. “If we don’t eat nsima [maize-meal] we feel we have eaten nothing,” said a villager in Nsanje.

The improved food security situation, the report says, will therefore be realized through household consumption of these sourced foods and not through the preferred maize in the markets.

Labels: MAIZE

posted by MrK @ 5:09 PM