From 23-26 September 2019 the 6th African Conference of Agricultural Economics (ACAE) will be held in Abuja, Nigeria. Under the theme “Rising to meet new challenges: Africa's agricultural development beyond 2020 Vision”, the conference will explore recent developments in agricultural systems across Africa. Key drivers of change include population growth, rapid urbanization, productivity enhancing innovation, […]
Policy Note 35: Structure, Conduct and Performance of Maize Markets in Malawi: Synopsis
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 […]
Working Paper 29: Structure, Conduct and Performance of Maize Markets in Malawi
Recent rises in the price of maize have again raised questions about the structure, conduct and performance of Malawi’s maize markets. Maize is by far Malawi’s most important staple crop and contributes about 66 percent of calories to typical household diets. The crop, which contributes 45.2 percent to the Consumer Price Index, is both a […]
Update on Maize Prices in Malawi
Since the beginning of March, Malawi has experienced heavy rainfall linked to Tropical Cyclone Idai, which has led to intense flooding in 14 districts across southern and central regions of the country. The most severely impacted districts are Chikwawa, Machinga, Mangochi, Phalombe, Thyolo, and Zomba─ which each have more than 50,000 affected people according to […]
Assessing the structure, conduct and performance of Malawi’s maize market
Maize is the most important staple food in Malawi, contributing about 66 percent of calories to typical household diets. Most non-seed maize is produced by smallholder farmers while large farms mainly produce seed maize. Thus, the nation’s food security and poverty reduction is dependent on the maize market. However, maize retail prices are high whereas […]
