ADMARC maize pricing triggers boycott in Monkey Bay as public anger mounts
The Monkey Bay incident has reignited debate around Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha’s recent projection that maize prices could fall to below K20,000 per 50kg bag (US$ 12) by August this year.
MALAWI – Public anger is rising in Malawi after the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) was found selling maize at K65,000 per 50kg bag (US$ 38) at its Monkey Bay market, a price that sharply contradicts government assurances and prevailing market expectations.
The move prompted prospective buyers to boycott the outlet, with many abandoning queues and leaving empty-handed.
Residents who gathered at the ADMARC market refused to buy the maize, saying the price was unaffordable and inconsistent with repeated government commitments to make the staple cheaper and widely accessible.
One buyer, Queen Christopher, said the community had expected maize to be sold at around K35,000 per 50kg bag (US$ 21), in line with public statements by government officials that prices would be reduced.
“The government promised people that maize would be sold at a lower price. We are shocked that ADMARC is selling at K65,000 when private traders are selling the same 50kg bag at around K50,000 (US$ 29),” Christopher said.
By the time journalists left the market, most of those who had queued earlier had walked away in frustration. Many described the price as exploitative, particularly at a time when households are under pressure from low incomes and rising living costs.
The Monkey Bay incident has reignited debate over Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha’s recent projection that maize prices could fall below K20,000 per 50kg bag (US$12) by August this year.
Speaking at a political rally in Phalombe, Mwanamvekha attributed the anticipated drop to government interventions, including the Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme (FISP), favourable rainfall and maize imports.
He said prices had already fallen from around K100,000 per 50kg (US$ 59) to K50,000, and assured Malawians that further reductions were imminent.
However, the situation on the ground presents a different picture. In Monkey Bay, a government-owned grain trader is selling maize at K15,000 (US$ 9) more than private vendors, raising questions about policy coherence and ADMARC’s role as a social safety net.
ADMARC officials at the depot declined to comment on why prices were higher than those of private traders, or whether the K65,000 price reflects official government policy.
Pricing concerns extend beyond Monkey Bay. Earlier in December 2025, ADMARC opened markets across the country, increasing the maize price from K790 per kilogramme or K39,500 per 50kg bag (US$23) to K1,300 per kilogramme or K65,000 per 50kg bag.
With vendors selling at an average of K60,000 per 50kg (US$35), consumers argue that the State grain trader appears to be following a cost-recovery approach rather than providing social protection.
ADMARC general manager Dan Makata defended the increase, saying the corporation could not maintain the earlier price because the maize being sold was purchased at around K1,300 per kilogramme.
“We are targeting areas where the price is between K1300 to K1500 per Kg so that we stabilise the price to K65,000 per 50kg,” Makata said.
Agriculture economist Steve Kayira said ADMARC’s pricing risks encouraging vendors to raise their prices, while the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation cautioned that the corporation could become a price-setter in the wrong direction.
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