The average price of maize in Malawi rose 7 percent in October, from K1,001 to K1,072 a kilo, the IFPRI Malawi maize market report for October shows. Prices went up in every market it monitors, in all three regions.
At that average, a 50kg bag now costs about K53,600, up from about K50,050 at the end of September. The rise comes as the lean season starts and many households run out of their own maize and buy from markets, Nation Online reports.
Key facts
- National average: K1,072 a kilo, up from K1,001
- About K53,600 for a 50kg bag
- Still 14 percent cheaper than October 2025, when it was K1,240 a kilo
- 2.6 million people expected to face Crisis level hunger from October to March
Where maize costs most
The south pays the most and the north the least. Cheaper maize imported from neighbouring countries kept the rise modest, IFPRI says.
Average price, last week of October
In five of the six northern markets IFPRI watches, prices were still below the government’s K900 minimum farmgate price, so most northern farmers who sold maize in October probably got less than the minimum.
Why prices are rising
Agriculture extension specialist Leonard Chimwaza told Nation Online the rise comes from lower supply and growing demand, for people and for animal feed, and warned that prices could rise further as the lean season deepens.
Agnes Nyirongo of the Centre for Social Concern said households that live on casual labour (ganyu) “may be forced to reduce the quantity of food they consume and compromise dietary diversity”.
Help for the lean season
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) says its plan for the 2026/27 lean season, October to March, needs 440,000 tonnes of maize, and that buying for the strategic grain reserve is underway. Spokesperson Lucy Bandazi said the wider El Niño response is short of K324 billion, 72 percent of what it needs.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects that 2.6 million people, 14 percent of those analysed, will face Crisis (Phase 3) food insecurity between October 2026 and March 2027.
Check where ADMARC is buying and selling maize near you.
