Govt reduces prices for buying maize from farmers
Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe has announced Minimum Farm Gate Prices for Strategic Crops for the 2020/22 Agriculture Season.
Lowe says, Maize has been priced at K150 per KG, Rice polished k600 per kg, unpolished rice k250 per kg, sorgum k290 per kg, soya beans k320 per kg, pure beans k510 per kg, groundnuts shelled k480 per kg, groundnuts unshelled 330 per kg.
Lowe has further said Pigeon peas has been priced at 240 per kg while cotton has been priced at 320 per kg.
Lowe has warmed that those who will buy the produce below this minimum price will face the law as such is illegal.
Present at the press briefing are Civil Society Organizations in the Agriculture sector, Malawi Police Service and Crop traders.
Lowe says the Maize price has been reduced from k200 to k150 after the ministry and stakeholders looked into the gains a Farmer would get after selling at k150.
Lowe says, a Farmer will still benefit selling at 150. He says initially some had opted for k120 but the government settled on k150.
Lowe further says government had looked into the Cost production and International market price trends before determining the prices.
Farmers Union of Malawi has endorsed the minimum prices.
However, Jacob Nyirongo FUM Chief Executive Officer has asked the ministry to make sure that Admarc comes on the market on good time to be the market leaders