The Malawian government is advancing plans to establish a local fertiliser manufacturing plant, targeting operations to begin by the 2027/28 farming season, according to Malawi24. Minister of Agriculture Rosa Mbilizi stated that experts from the Moroccan fertiliser company OCP Africa have arrived in Malawi for a joint workshop to help realise the project. The development coincides with the arrival of 500 metric tonnes of fertiliser from Morocco. This completes a 1,000-metric-tonne donation pledged to support smallholder farmers affected by natural disasters and to boost irrigation farming ahead of anticipated El Niño weather conditions.
In a separate push for national food security, the government is expanding the agricultural role of the Malawi Defence Force. According to Good Authority, the initiative follows a recent freeze in United States development assistance, which had previously funded a $35 million agricultural diversification program. To offset the loss of foreign aid, the government intends to restructure the military into a development-oriented institution tasked with expanding domestic maize and rice production.
Meanwhile, smallholder farmers face severe pricing challenges as private vendors ignore government-recommended minimum farm-gate prices. Nation Online reports that traders are currently purchasing maize for as little as K550 per kilogramme, well below the official K900 per kilogramme minimum. The market conditions have worsened because the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) has halted its maize purchases from farmers. ADMARC Chief Executive Officer Ben Botolo announced the state grain trader stopped buying maize to focus on more profitable commodities. Vendors are also acquiring other crops, such as pigeon peas, below their gazetted prices, leaving local producers with limited options for fair returns.