Some livestock farmers in the northern region say that continued illegal exportation of maize bran locally known as Gaga to countries Like Tanzania, Eswatini, Kenya, and Zimbabwe has led to a scarcity of feed for livestock on the local market.
 
A Mzuzu-based livestock farmer Boniface Jubeki of Chingalu Farms has implored the government to control the exportation of the commodity, saying current trend is pushing upwards the cost of production and prices of meat and its products in the region.
 
“Prices of meat and its products have risen in the recent months. In 2022, we used buy a kilogram of beef and pork at K2, 500.  But now the same is trading at K4, 200, simply because farmers are buying animal feed like gaga at a higher rate.”
 
He added; in the same period a 20-liter tin of Maize bran was selling at K500 but it is now going at K1000.
 
Vendors from neighboring countries are controlling the market, buying the commodity and illegally exporting it to their countries.
 
Minister of Trade and Industry Simplex Chithyola-Banda has told us in a separate interview that Capitol Hill will check if there is indeed illegal exportation of the commodity.
 
Said Chithyola-Banda: “I don’t think there is smuggling of maize bran to some African countries. And, what I know is these traders seek export documents from our offices which we provide after scrutinizing the business.”
 
Maize bran is one of the liable feed for livestock in Malawi.