By Bisola Adeyemo
Agriculture and Irrigation minister, Lobin Lowe, has assured Malawians of food security in 2022, saying there are enough food reserves to feed the Southeastern impoverished nation.
Lowe revealed this to press briefing in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, adding, maize requirement for the next three months (January to March) is projected at 861 868 Metric tonnes of maize.
“As a country, there is 915,998 metric tonnes of maize surplus and he updated national Food Balance Sheet (FBS) compilation as of 31st December 2021 shows that the country has a total supply of 1,693,997 metric tonnes.
“The total maize requirement for the three months, from annually to March 2022, is projected at 861, 868 metric tonnes.”
“Out of this estimated maize surplus, official maize stocks held by government institutions, the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) and ADMARC Limited, stood at 265,253 metric tonnes as of December 31, 2021.”
According to Nyasa time, Lowe said the food balance sheet projection, the country remains stable in terms of maize availability.
“This is further supported by the prevailing market prices which have remained stable during the past three months and even as the country is in the lean period during which so far ADMARC sales stand at only 37 metric tonnes since opening their selling season,” he said.
