The Femine and Early Warning Systems Network (FewsNet) Food Security Update has shown that higher maize prices are causing informal maize exports to surge.

Malawi has exported about 6 200 metric tonnes (MT) of maize between last August and November alone. Weighing the informal exports with informal imports, the latter registered 907MT of maize in November, mainly from Mozambique.

The currently struggling Admarc may also be a contributor to the informal exports, as the buyer has been failing to buy the grain, leaving vendors buying from farmers, then exporting the local grain. The Fewsnet report says that the maize is exported to Tanzania, where it is being re-exported to other east African countries, including Kenya and the DRC.