This represents a decrease of 28 percent, according to the Second Round of National Agricultural Estimates released by the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday in Lilongwe.

Responsible Minister Dr. Allan Chiyembekeza, however assured Malawians that the country still has 46,000 metric tones in its Strategic Grain Reserves.

According to the Ministry, Maize production has dropped from 3.9 million metric tones last year to 2.8 million tones this year representing a decrease of 28 percent.

Cash crops such as cotton and groundnuts have also been affected by the floods and dry spells.

The agriculture production estimates also show a decrease in other major food crops such as rice, millet, Cassava and Sorghum and an increase in Irish and sweet potatoes.

The Ministry is implementing a cassava and sweet potatoes production programme in response to the floods and dry spells with funding from the World Bank Multi Donor Trust Fund amounting to K400 million.

“As government we have a number mitigation measures that we are putting in place to ensure we prevent the looming hunger in supporting smallholder farmers with potential for irrigation with various inputs to commence irrigation farming,” said Chiyembekeza.

The Minister has since advised farmers not to sell their produce to traders but wait for minimum prices which government will release soon.

“When farmers harvest they have a tendency of selling all the produce without leaving some for consumption, it is advisable to farmers to keep enough maize for food and not sell at unreasonable prices,” Chiyembekeza explained.

Meanwhile the Agriculture Minister says K8.5 billion for procurement of maize from local farmers.

The second round of National Agricultural Estimates will be followed by a third one which is currently being worked on and will come out in June.