April 15, 2013

Illegal corn exports by unlicensed foreign traders have caused a significant corn deficit in Malawi, said the country's Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Peter Mwanza.

According to Mwanza, over 140,000 tonnes of corn from the previous harvest, which recorded a surplus of 550,000 tonnes, have been smuggled to neighbouring countries by unlicensed foreign traders.

He warned that the situation could get worse.

"The situation at the moment is critical. The Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMAR) is still distributing corn to the market.

"This is going to be strengthened by some imports from Chipata, Zambia. This is to supplement what is remaining in the country. After that, the situation should normalise," said Mwanza.

The minister's confirmation follows revelation that over 30,000 tonnes of corn have decomposed in local storage facilities.

Corn shortages have led to soaring prices due to increased demand.