Fertiliser scarcity continues to worsen with ‘opportunistic’ vendors selling the commodity at higher prices right outside agro-dealer shops. Nation on Sunday’s spot-checks yesterday established that the vendors are selling the commodity at K3 800 per kilogramme (kg), translating to K190 000 for a 50kg bag. Initially, prices of fertilisers are hovering between K155 000 per 50kg bag and K166 000 on the official market.
But the current situation is frustrating Malawians. Those we spoke with in random interviews yesterday said the situation needs to be addressed with the urgency it deserves. “I came to buy fertilisers, only to be told that it is out of stock,” said Alfred Banda whom we met in Blantyre’s Limbe at one of the nation’s biggest fertiliser distributors.
“I planned to apply the first fertilisers this weekend.” Asked if he could consider purchasing from the vendors, Banda said: “I budgeted for the official price. I cannot afford the prices being offered by the vendors.” For the vendors, their prices stand; they are not offering any discounts. “It is either you buy or not, [but] these are our prices,” said one of the vendors who asked not to be named.
[paywall]
The particular vendor said he—alongside some of his colleagues—purchased the fertilisers from the distributors much earlier and kept it to sell in the midst of the scarcity. “We bought in anticipation of the scarcity. We were told that scarcity of foreign currency would result in fertiliser scarcity at some point,” he said.
“Of course, it was a risk we took because if there could be no scarcity, we would have probably been selling at the same price as the agro-dealer shops.” But despite being appalled by both the scarcity and vendors’ prices, Samantha Mkangama—whom we met at the same agro-dealer shop, bought two bags from the vendor. “I could not miss to apply the fertilisers this weekend neither could I wait for the possibility of getting the fertilisers on the official market in the coming week,” she said.
[/paywall]
