Food Imports in Malawi: Trends, Drivers and Policy Implications

Key Messages •The total value of food imports in Malawi has more than doubled over the last two decades. •Cereals, animal and vegetable fats, and oils dominate Malawi’s food imports. •Much of the food import portfolio is for direct consumption as opposed to producing value-added products. •The increase in food imports is driven by low agricultural productivity, rising demand for processed foods, and low domestic industrial sector competitiveness. •Unregulated food imports from the neighboring countries present unfair competition to formally imported food products and negatively impact growth of domestic food industries. •Policy reforms to minimize reliance on food imports could focus on increasing agricultural productivity; improving competitiveness of local agri-food industries; investing in agri-food processing; promoting locally produced products; and curbing unregulated food importation.