The ministry of Agriculture and Food Security released the third round crop estimates figures which put overall maize production at 3.44 million MT, 33.7 percent higher than the 2006 harvest. This is an historic record, and is attributed to favorable weather conditions and increased input uptake due to the government input subsidy program. Production of other crops, except tobacco, is estimated to have increased as well. This year’s bumper maize harvest has significantly improved household food security, and most households are now relying on their own production from the current harvest. This in turn has led to a significant drop in market demand for food and a drop in food prices, especially in the rural areas.
However, despite the positive picture at the national level, there are localized problem areas where people will still experience food insecurity due to chronic problems. According to the recent Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) findings, there are no significant missing food entitlements arising from hazards experienced during the growing season or based on the projected economic indicators. However, about 519,200 people across the country will need to be watched as any decline in economic conditions could reduce their entitlements below their needs.
Both private traders and ADMARC are busy buying various types of produce, including maize, from farmers. However, due to the huge surplus and the lack of significant export markets, traders are buying at lower prices from farmers, in some cases as low as MK5 to MK10/kg. The government has announced a minimum buying price of MK17/kg in order to ensure that farmers get a good return for their crop. ADMARC is expected to start buying maize in July. ADMARC’s ability to buy maize depends on government funding, and the delayed budget this year will negatively impact their financial position and consequently their ability to buy maize. This year, ADMARC will peg their purchasing price at the government sanctioned minimum price of MK17/kg instead of the MK20/kg they paid last year.
Planting of winter crops continues as more land is put under irrigation. For the Shire Valley, winter crops contribute significantly to the food requirements. Marketing of the various agricultural commodities is under way. Both tobacco and cotton, two major income sources for farmers, are fetching good prices, and this might act as an incentive for farmers to produce more of these crops in the next growing season.
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
President Mutharika sets conditions for dialogue with Malawi opposition
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has set conditions for dialogue and reconciliation on the current political stand-off following the opposition leaders’ refusal to discuss the national budget in parliament, APA learnt here Tuesday.
The opposition said priority should be the dismissal of MPs who defected to the government side following Mutharika’s dumping of the former ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party two years ago.
State House Press Officer Chikumbutso Mtumodzi said the president’s office was ready for dialogue with the opposition but the latter should put their proposals for the talks in writing.
"We would like the opposition to put their intentions or demands on paper so that the dialogue can start as soon as possible," Mtumodzi said.
But opposition UDF spokesperson Sam Mpasu said it was the government which should initiate the dialogue with the opposition – and not visa versa.
"We in the opposition side have been willing to have talks with the government but they are always rigid," Mpasu said.
He said government should write to the opposition on what they want, and when they need the dialogue.
"We (opposition) are always ready for the discussions," he added
Malawi Congress Party spokesperson Ishmael Chafukira said government has always shunned reconciliation talks with the opposition.
Chafukira cited as an example the time both the opposition and government were invited for reconciliation talks chaired by former South African President Nelson Mandela and other SADC leaders in 2005.
"Our counterparts from the government side did not turn up to the meeting. It was only former President Bakili Muluzi, MCP President John Tembo and People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) leader Aleke Banda who were present. Our President Bingu wa Mutharika did not attend," he said.
Therefore, he said, government should start the move, by calling on the opposition in writing for discussions with it.
The opposition said priority should be the dismissal of MPs who defected to the government side following Mutharika’s dumping of the former ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party two years ago.
State House Press Officer Chikumbutso Mtumodzi said the president’s office was ready for dialogue with the opposition but the latter should put their proposals for the talks in writing.
"We would like the opposition to put their intentions or demands on paper so that the dialogue can start as soon as possible," Mtumodzi said.
But opposition UDF spokesperson Sam Mpasu said it was the government which should initiate the dialogue with the opposition – and not visa versa.
"We in the opposition side have been willing to have talks with the government but they are always rigid," Mpasu said.
He said government should write to the opposition on what they want, and when they need the dialogue.
"We (opposition) are always ready for the discussions," he added
Malawi Congress Party spokesperson Ishmael Chafukira said government has always shunned reconciliation talks with the opposition.
Chafukira cited as an example the time both the opposition and government were invited for reconciliation talks chaired by former South African President Nelson Mandela and other SADC leaders in 2005.
"Our counterparts from the government side did not turn up to the meeting. It was only former President Bakili Muluzi, MCP President John Tembo and People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) leader Aleke Banda who were present. Our President Bingu wa Mutharika did not attend," he said.
Therefore, he said, government should start the move, by calling on the opposition in writing for discussions with it.
Caterpillar Takes On Unusual Projects in New Pro Bono Program
An in-house intellectual property lawyer like Michael Hurst at Caterpillar Inc. rarely has the opportunity to do pro bono work. But earlier this year, the Peoria, Ill.-based heavy equipment manufacturer decided to offer free legal services to The Malawi Connection, a Michigan-based charity. When the group needed help trademarking its name and logo, Hurst jumped at the chance to assist.
"I had never had the opportunity to do something like that," Hurst says. So far he's put in ten hours on the application, which is still pending with the Patent and Trademark Office.
The Malawi Connection is just one of several clients that Caterpillar's lawyers have taken on since the company started a formal pro bono program last November. "It was obvious to me that if the opportunities [for more pro bono work] were there, people would do it more," says deputy general counsel Michael Sposato, who is overseeing the effort. As of April, 64 volunteers had devoted more than 580 hours to providing free legal services.
One of the first beneficiaries of Caterpillar's new pro bono program, The Malawi Connection funds the construction of schools and other improvements in the African nation. Several Michigan residents started the group in 1998 after befriending Clement Chiwaya, a Malawi native who was then a college student in Grand Rapids. Likewise, Caterpillar got involved with The Malawi Connection through a personal relationship -- the charity's outside counsel is the father-in-law of an attorney at the company.
Sposato is already thinking about what Caterpillar can do next for The Malawi Connection. In particular, he wants to help the aid group set up a microfinancing system that would make small business loans to Malawians. The project is particularly appealing to Sposato, since he's also general counsel of Caterpillar's financing subsidiary.
For its part, The Malawi Connection is grateful for the assistance. "We never expected this large of a corporation to be interested," says James Rademaker, the group's president. "You never know how you can tap into their talents, and how excited they can be about opportunities to help."
"I had never had the opportunity to do something like that," Hurst says. So far he's put in ten hours on the application, which is still pending with the Patent and Trademark Office.
The Malawi Connection is just one of several clients that Caterpillar's lawyers have taken on since the company started a formal pro bono program last November. "It was obvious to me that if the opportunities [for more pro bono work] were there, people would do it more," says deputy general counsel Michael Sposato, who is overseeing the effort. As of April, 64 volunteers had devoted more than 580 hours to providing free legal services.
One of the first beneficiaries of Caterpillar's new pro bono program, The Malawi Connection funds the construction of schools and other improvements in the African nation. Several Michigan residents started the group in 1998 after befriending Clement Chiwaya, a Malawi native who was then a college student in Grand Rapids. Likewise, Caterpillar got involved with The Malawi Connection through a personal relationship -- the charity's outside counsel is the father-in-law of an attorney at the company.
Sposato is already thinking about what Caterpillar can do next for The Malawi Connection. In particular, he wants to help the aid group set up a microfinancing system that would make small business loans to Malawians. The project is particularly appealing to Sposato, since he's also general counsel of Caterpillar's financing subsidiary.
For its part, The Malawi Connection is grateful for the assistance. "We never expected this large of a corporation to be interested," says James Rademaker, the group's president. "You never know how you can tap into their talents, and how excited they can be about opportunities to help."
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