This Policy Note offers a synopsis of a study, detailed in Working Paper 29, which analyzed the structure, conduct and performance of maize markets in Malawi during the 2018/2019 main harvest and lean seasons.
The study team interviewed 749 traders from 74 markets across 8 districts and held 28 focus group discussions with a total of 480 small-scale farmers. The team also analyzed daily and weekly retail maize price data from 13 regional markets.
The authors explore the structure of the maize market by examining marketing channels, barriers to entry, and traders’ perception of the competitiveness of different tiers of the marketing chain. Conduct is assessed in terms of seasonal shares of purchases and sales, switches in trader types between seasons, quality and weights standardization, and price setting mechanisms. Performance is analyzed by examining traders’ cost and margins, and the spatial and temporal integration of maize markets.
The Policy Note concludes with five policy suggestions on how to improve Malawi’s maize marketing system.
Authors: Dennis O. Ochieng, Rosemary Botha, and Bob Baulch, August 2019.
Click here to download and read the Policy Note. (PDF 323 KB)
