Update: Malawi is facing a significant fertiliser shortage ahead of the rainy season, with a national deficit of 300,000 metric tonnes, according to Nation Online. The Fertiliser Association of Malawi (FAM) has raised concerns over the agricultural supply pipeline, noting that only a fraction of the required inputs has arrived.
FAM executive administrator Hannah Makhambera told Zodiak Online that out of 148,000 metric tonnes accounted for, only 35,068 metric tonnes are currently inside the country. A further 66,940 metric tonnes are either stranded or transiting through the ports of Beira and Dar es Salaam, while another 46,000 metric tonnes remain at sea. These logistical delays risk disrupting planting schedules for smallholder farmers who rely on timely access to farming inputs.
Despite the current fertiliser shortages, the country recorded positive agricultural output during the previous farming calendar. The Ministry of Agriculture reported that national maize production increased by about 15 percent. The harvest reached 3,300,618 metric tonnes in the 2025/2026 agricultural season, up from 2,859,948 metric tonnes in the 2024/2025 season. This increase in maize yields supports national food security, though the current fertiliser gap threatens to lower production in the next cycle.