The National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM) has commended the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, for the timely release of minimum farmgate prices for the 2024/25 agricultural season.
The association, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said th3e announcement comes at a critical time when our smallholder farmers are harvesting and entering the market.
However, NASFAM has urged the government to ensure consistent enforcement and support for smallholder farmers.
"As NASFAM, together with our partners, we actively participated in the consultative processes leading up to the determination of these prices. We are pleased to note that many of the proposed rates align with realities on the ground and reflect the needs of the smallholder farming community," reads the statement in part.
According to the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture last week, there has been increases in strategic crops like maize, which has moved from MK 900/kg (2023/24) to MK 1050/kg (2024/25), soya beans from MK 1100/kg to MK 1200/kg while shelled groundnuts will sell at at MK 2500/kg, maintaining its high value.
Price for sesame for has increased from MK 1800/kg to MK 2000/kg while paprika will now be fetching MK3000, up from MK 2800/kg.
However, some commodities have seen no change, or marginal shifts, which we continue to monitor closely. For instance, price for pigeon peas remains at MK 800/kg and beans and sunflower at MK 1200/kg, which may not reflect rising production costs.
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Reacting to the announcement, NASFAM said while the the 2024/25 prices demonstrate modest, but commendable improvement, there is a need for robust enforcement mechanisms to ensure buyers adhere to the announced prices.
"Historically, weak enforcement has led to farmer exploitation, particularly in remote rural areas. We urge the Ministry to deploy monitoring teams at district and community levels to track price compliance and provide real time market information to farmers," it says.
According to NASFAM, delays in payments from buyers undermine farmer confidence; hence, buyers must be compelled to operate transparently and pay farmers promptly.
The association has called for strategic support for processing and aggregation--especially for groundnuts, soya beans, sunflower, and beans--will boost farmer income, reduce post-harvest losses, and create jobs.
"As NASFAM continues to support quality control and aggregation, we propose that future pricing mechanisms also consider graded pricing structures for better-quality produce. Commodities like groundnuts, sesame, soya, and sunflower offer strong comparative advantages for Malawi's smallholder farmers. More investment is needed in extension, inputs, mechanization, and market linkages to help farmers scale sustainably," the statement says.
Meanwhile, NASFAM has reiterated its unwavering commitment to advocate for fair agricultural policies, inclusive markets, and sustainable livelihoods for Malawi's smallholder farmers, applauding the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, for the consultative approach and look forward to continued collaboration in ensuring the farmgate prices are not just set, but truly felt in the pockets of the farmer.
