Posted on May, 23, 2018 at 11:10 am
By Owen Khamula
Government says maize yields, the staple grain, across the country have dropped by a significant 20 per cent.
Minister of agriculture Joseph Mwanamveka attributed the drop in maize yields to drought in some parts and army worms in other parts.
Mwanamveka also said other crop yields are also expected in different degrees due to drought in some parts and heavy flooding in other areas more especially in the northern.
Malawi depends on maize as its staple food.
Mwanamvekha said the government has a budget set aside to buy extra maize to make up for the lost 2 per cent mark.
The ministry of Agriculture remains one of the top government ministries to get the national budget lions share.
Maize has been the main driver of inflation, accounting for 58.1 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services such as transportation and food.
Source: Malawi News Agency (MANA Online)