There was slight delay in the start of the rainfall season in some
parts of the southern region. Normally the southern parts of the country
receive planting rains around mid November but this season, many parts
of the country had not yet received planting rains by the end of
November. This is especially the case in the Lower Shire districts of
Chikwawa and Nsanje, where planting had not yet started.
The number of households running out of own‐produced food continues
to increase as the season progresses. These households are depending
on the markets for food. The high maize prices this season put many of
these households at risk of food insecurity. The MVAC revised figures
show that about 674,000 people are at risk of food insecurity and require
food aid assistance.
The majority of the local markets recorded increases in maize prices in
November. Some of the markets recorded prices above the government
fixed maximum maize selling price of MK52.00/kg, attributed to an
increase in market demand for maize as households continue to deplete
their own maize stocks. The high prices have also resulted in increased
demand for maize in ADMARC markets, where maize is selling at the
government fixed price, so that in many parts of the southern region
whenever maize is available at the market, it only lasts for 1 to 3 days.
The volume of maize traded between Malawi and its neighbors through
informal cross‐border trade remained low at about 2,000 MT in
November 2008, almost the same as last month. This is partly attributed
to the government’s decision towards the end of August to ban largescale
traders from buying and selling of maize as well as the seasonal
decline in tradable stocks in the source countries.
