The Malawi Food Security Outlook for February to September 2020 has noted that there is an oversupply of goats on the market, by desperate and hungry households who are selling the livestock at lower prices to make ends meet.

The findings by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) show that prices are up to 50% lower in southern areas that have been facing the highest levels of acute food insecurity. The report has also attributed the situation to the current maize shortage in the country. “With maize prices ranging from K15,000 to K20,000 per 50 kilogram (kg) bag, the goat-to-maize terms of trade are significantly eroded to around a third or less of what is typical for this time of year,” Fews Net says.

Last week, the Grant Traders Association of Malawi (GTAM) has acknowledged there is a food shortage in the country, but the situation is not as bad as it is portrayed, only that government does not act on traders who buy maize from farmers then hoard it.