A little-known Indian company incorporated barely two years ago has landed a staggering $20.2 million (K35 billion) contract to supply maize to Malawi's National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), raising eyebrows over how such a small operation secured one of the country's biggest food procurement deals.
Global Agri Services Limited was only incorporated on 12 March 2024 in India, official company records show, yet has now been handed the mammoth contract to help stock Malawi's strategic grain reserves.
The firm is registered with the Registrar of Companies in Ahmedabad, with its listed address given as Mukhi Kampo Vadali, Ganesh Oil Mil Ni Pachal, Vadali (Sabarkantha), in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Its Corporate Identification Number is recorded as U47737GJ2024PTC149564.
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According to its classification with India's Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the company's principal business is listed as the retail sale of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, machinery, equipment and hand tools -- not, it would appear, large-scale international grain trading.
Perhaps most strikingly, Global Agri Services Private Limited has an authorised share capital of just ₹100,000 -- roughly £950 -- and an identical paid-up capital of ₹100,000.
The company's board comprises just two directors, Janakkumar Dashrathbhai Patel and Jigarkumar Hasamukhlal Doshi.
Despite its modest footing, the firm was awarded the contract under reference 019/NCB/NFRA/MAIZ/2026/2027/5, according to a Contract Award Notification dated 3 July 2026, at a rate of $505 per metric tonne -- bringing the total deal to $20.2 million.
Under the terms of the agreement, the successful bidder was required to sign within seven days, meaning the contract is understood to have already come into force.
The procurement forms part of Malawi's wider food security drive, after the Ministry of Finance released K100 billion to NFRA to buy 108,000 metric tonnes of maize for the nation's strategic grain reserves -- a stockpile officials hope will cushion the country against anticipated El Niño-related shocks during the 2026/27 growing season.
At the agreed price, the maize works out at roughly $25.25 per 50-kilogram bag -- or around K43,786 at the current exchange rate of approximately K1,734 to the dollar.
The government has yet to make the deal public.
This article is based on company registration records and a contract award notification.
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Malawi's National Food Reserve Agency and the Ministry of Finance have been approached for comment.
