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Malawi

Malawi mVAM Maize Price Update #37: 13 September 2016

Attachments

Maize prices continued to remain relatively stable throughout the 17 monitored districts as observed during the second week of September, though are still abnormally high compared to seasonal trends. The overall average nominal price of maize was MK228/kg, almost the same as observed in the previous week and 3 perce nt lower compared to the second week of August. As shown in Figure 1, the highest district average prices per 1kg of maize were observed in Mulanje (MK260), Thyolo (MK258) and Phalombe (MK253), while the lowest average prices were recorded in Chitipa (MK162), Karonga (MK 185) and Ntchisi (MK200). The current average price remains 74 percent higher than the same time last year and 113 percent higher than the three -year average.

Across the 50 monitored markets, maize prices ranged from MK150 to MK270 per kilogram (Figure 2 & Table 1). Markets with highest maize prices were Limbuli in Mulanje (MK270/kg), Marka in Nsanje (MK270/kg) and Lirangwe in Blantyre (MK260/kg) while markets with the lowest prices were at Chitipa Boma (MK150/kg) and Karonga Boma (MK180/kg). The remarkably high prices are expected to constrain staple food access for the households during the post -harvest season.

Methodology

Live Call Surveys: This report marks the 37th weekly maize price data collection. The methodology has been informed by WFPs mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) initiative, which involves using mobile phone surveys for food security monitoring. The survey was conducted using live calls from 6th September to 10th September on a sample of 140 traders across 50 key markets in 17 Districts. The survey response rate was 98 percent, and 2 percent were unavailable due to network or other related technical issues. It is acknowledged that phone surveys contain inherent response biases, as such the bulletin provides patterns and trends rather than precise estimates. The country faces challenges in network connectivity in some areas and power which affects the coverage and response rate. WFP is taking measures to increase coverage and participation.