Artificial Scarcity of Food in Malawi

Malawi has long suffered under the specter of artificial scarcity—a deep wound in the economic life of ordinary people. The story is almost always the same: greedy and selfish individuals, often with power and influence, monopolize food and other essentials such as maize, sugar, fuel, and even foreign exchange. They deliberately suffocate supply in the market, waiting until the right moment to release their stockpiled inventory at very high prices.

This vice creates a bitter economic gap between the rich and the poor. For the majority of Malawians who live from day to day, even a small rise in food prices can mean sleeping on an empty stomach. Meanwhile, the hoarders reap heavily, seeing the people's primordial needs as commodities to be exploited and not life necessities.

Just recently, however, the tables have turned. Following the presidential election, which unofficial returns say Peter Arthur Mutharika won, the price of maize dropped by nearly 50%. The report that prices of food must come down, courtesy of the new government, has already sent a ripple. Most of the traders, out of fear of incurring losses or political disrepute in case prices kept going up unabated, rushed to sell out their maize at lower prices.

For ordinary Malawians, this sudden relief is welcome. Maize is the staple food of the country, and a reduction in its cost translates directly into more affordable meals. Yet, beneath the celebration lies a sobering truth: the problem of artificial scarcity is not new, nor is it solved by a single decree. The cycle of hoarding and exploitation has been entrenched in Malawi’s economy for decades.

The joy of cheap prices today prompts a deeper question for tomorrow: how can Malawi design systems that prevent artificial scarcity from arising in the first place? Without reforms that ensure openness, accountability, and fair distribution of food and essentials, the citizens will remain victims at the mercy of a few.

Artificial scarcity thrives where the rule of law falters, political will is lacking, and greed becomes institutionalized. Breaking this vicious cycle will require more than presidential decrees but transformational change—empowering farmers, strengthening food reserves, dismantling exploitative cartels, and ensuring the inalienable right to access to affordable food.

Until then, Malawians are rejoicing at lower maize prices. But the long-term battle is about something more than prices—it's about justice, dignity, and survival.