Malawi lifts ban on maize exports

By Moses Michael-Phiri

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AA) - Malawi President Peter Mutharika Monday has lifted a ban on the export of maize, a staple in the southeastern African nation.

“I had put restriction on the export of maize because I wanted to make sure that we will not make the same mistakes we made in 2012, whereby maize was sold but the following year there was famine and many people suffered,” said Mutharika at a press briefing in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre on Monday.

“That’s why I said we will not allow exports until production reached the threshold of 234,000 metric tons.”

Mutharika banned all exports of maize products in 2015 as hunger affected over 6 million people from 2015 to 2016 due to floods and prolonged drought in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.

But lately pressure has been mounting on government to lift the ban after maize production rose by a third to over 3.2 million tons.

According to official data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, maize production this year rose 46 percent on a yearly basis.

High production gains have been registered in sorghum and rice. These increases are forecast to contribute to an overall average cereal output of 3.7 million tons in 2017.

The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Karl Chokotho on Monday told Anadolu Agency that by lifting the ban both large and smallscale farmers will have an opportunity to access international markets.

“This will allow them to export excess maize which currently has no market in the country,” he said.