By Staff Reporter

The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has asked Parliament to suspend relevant standing orders and deliberate solutions to the current maize situation in the country.

In a statement, CDEDI Executive Director (ED) Sylvester Namiwa says the situation is a fatal disaster-in-waiting that will mostly affect vulnerable and marginalised citizens both in urban and rural areas.

According to Namiwa, instead of pressing the panic button or softening regulations on maize imports, Parliament should come up with an emergency Maize Bill.

“CDEDI wishes to give Parliament seven days to deliberate and pass the Maize Bill or failure to do so will prompt us to camp at the Parliament Building in Lilongwe from Monday, August 7, 2023 until the Bill is passed, maize is made available and its price is reduced,” says Namiwa.

He says through the Maize Bill, the government should engage the Illovo and Salima sugar company and other large-scale commercial farmers to grow maize through irrigation.

“There should also be an initiative to tap the underground water to enable prison facilities to engage in irrigation farming. Likewise, those in the lakeshore districts should be provided solar pumps or canals to grow maize. Given that most Malawians are yet to adopt alternatives to maize, it is imperative to increase production of the staple food,” adds Namiwa.

Through CDEDI, Namiwa has also asked the government to immediately release the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) maize to all Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) selling points.

Currently, the staple food is selling at about K30 000 per 50kg bag in the central region while in the southern region the same bag is fetching over K36 000.

“Malawians may wish to know that despite Parliament approving K12 billion for buying maize, coupled with the changing of the government financial year to allow for timely procurement of the staple food, the country has maize that will only last two months, if it were to be supplied nationwide,” says Namiwa.