Malawi will have to look elsewhere in the hunt for maize to replenish its dwindling stocks as Kenya has declined to sell its maize to the country.
According to a report on allafrica.com, Malawi had requested to buy 1.2 million tonnes of local maize to meet the shortage in the country but Kenya has turned down the request.
The online report quotes a letter written on behalf of the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Kenyan Director of Crops making a request on behalf of Malawi.
In response, the director Johnston Irungu says the country is not in a position to sell maize due to the limited stocks.
“Referring to your letter, we are not able at the moment to sell maize to Malawi as per request. We currently have 10 million bags of maize which can only last for three months,” said Irungu in the letter dated May 31.
In 2010, Malawi played a major role in exporting maize to Kenya at a time the country was faced with a serious shortage.
Malawi is looking for maize supplies in the wake of a severe food shortage following a prolonged dry spell in the past two growing seasons.
This is the first time Malawi has requested for maize from Kenya, which itself is a food deficit country and relies on cross-border imports from neighbouring countries to meet the annual requirement.
Kenya has in previous years been relying on Malawi and Zambia for white non-genetically modified maize to bridge the shortfall.
Irungu said that good prices might see some Kenyan traders export the produce to Malawi via Tanzania.
“We are currently working under a common business treaty and traders from Kenya might export their crop to Malawi in order to benefit from prevailing high prices,” he said.
In an earlier report, government said it would cast its net even beyond Africa in search for the staple grain considering that many countries on the continent were also affected by drought this year.
Another measure which the government has adopted is to engage private sector companies to grow the maize under irrigation. Selection of the bidders is underway.
Presenting a budget statement in Parliament three weeks ago, Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe announced that government was allocating K35.5 billion to be used for the purchase of 1.4 million metric tonnes of maize.
“Malawi is facing yet another wave of food insecurity, this time occasioned by the El Nino climatic episode…. Maize production has been estimated at 2.4 million metric tonnes before adjusting for post-harvest loses. Importantly, it is estimated that the country requires an additional 790,000 metric tonnes of relief food to support an estimated 8.4 million people,” said Gondwe.
He said an additional 250,000 metric tonnes is required for sale in Admarc markets, while another 250,000 metric tonnes is required to restock the strategic grain reserves.
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