A few weeks of research and writing

The last few weeks have been very busy for me at the Farmers Union but also very rewarding. Last week I had a full page press release that I wrote published in The Daily Times newspaper of Malawi. Not to get into too much detail, but it was about a recent government decision to outlaw the buying and selling of corn (the staple food crop here) by everyone but the government. The government is getting concerned that there may be a food shortage and that middle men who buy maize from the farmers are hoarding it in warehouses, causing an artificial shortage in order to create a supply crisis so that they can charge higher prices. Then they will continue to sell at a high or even higher price in what in Malawi is called the "hungry season" when people are out of their own food. While it is admirable that the government is concerned about food security the issue is that the government body given the task to buy and sell all the corn in the country is most likely not up to the task. It was never up to the task for 30 years of existence in this era of a liberalized economy the government buyer, ADMARC has become a small player. While the government has the right to do what it thinks is best for the country the Farmers Union had some reservations about this move, its impact on farmers and its impact on food security. I did a lot of research and had a press release published. The government has since backed down on its position allowing some private buying and selling. Many sections of Malawian society have praised the Farmers Union for its stance and its quick response. We have had favourable reviews about the press release from other NGOs as well as the British government and the World Bank. Two news stories about our position have come out after we had it published last Thursday. It is great to see a lot of research and work on writing a position paper have a real impact on government policy, plus get accolades from other important stakeholders. This week I just finished an 11 page overview on the rising cost of fertilizers which have almost tripled in price since last year. I went over the various possible causes and some mitigating measures that can be taken to soften the impact of the extremely high prices.
My parents sent us a wonderful care package which we received this week. It was full of goodies from home and was such a wonderful gesture.
Thanks Mom and Dad