On 7 April, the Ministry of Agriculture released the updated farmgate prices for the 2020 cereal crops, which are supposed to set the minimum boundary that farmers sell their crops. The farmgate price for the principal food staple, maize, was raised to MWK 200 per kg up from MWK 180 per kg in the previous year. The Government’s Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) parastatal, that, among other functions, procures and distributes maize, has begun purchasing maize in the Southern region at this price and will begin its purchases in the Central and Northern regions later in April. According to official forecasts, maize production in 2020 is expected to increase on a yearly basis to an above-average level of 3.7 million tonnes, due to mostly conducive weather.