The Ministry of Agriculture has announced its intention to award a K4.59 billion contract to Renaissance Agriculture and Food Systems to supply 765 metric tonnes of maize seed for the 2026/27 Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme (FISP). According to Nyasa Times, the contract notice was issued this week, giving unsuccessful bidders until October 31 to lodge formal objections. The maize seed distribution is a core part of the government's strategy to support smallholder farmers and increase national food production.
Update: As Malawi enters the agricultural lean season, maize prices have continued to rise, reaching up to K1,200 per kilogram in parts of Blantyre and Salima. A recently released market report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) shows the national average price hit K997 per kilogram by the end of September, Nation Online reports. The data indicates that 24 out of 31 monitored markets are now recording prices well above the government's minimum farm-gate price of K900 per kilogram, placing heavy financial pressure on households that are depleting their own food stocks.
Meanwhile, agricultural stakeholders are pressing for broader reforms across Malawi's food supply chain. Presenting a new position paper to the Ministry of Agriculture in Lilongwe, Self Help Africa Country Director Kate Hartley Louis stressed that farming production alone cannot resolve the country's malnutrition and food insecurity issues, according to Nyasa Times. She called for better coordination in food storage, processing, and distribution, drawing support from the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Planning Commission to align local projects with the National Food Systems Transformation Programme.