BY: SIBUSISIWE NDZIMANDZE AND SIBANDZE SIKHONA | JOURNALISTS
MANZINI – As consumers celebrate National Maize Corporation’s (NMC) 26% maize price cut, farmers are asking one key question: what does this mean for us? With harvest season approaching and input costs still high, producers are eager for clarity on whether the reduction will affect the price they receive for their maize.
NMC recently announced that it has reduced its maize selling price from E7,081.00 per tonne to E5,175.00 per tonne, describing the move as a decisive intervention to safeguard food affordability and stabilize the national grain market.
The Corporation further indicated that the reduction also applies to packaged maize. The price of a 70kg bag has been reduced from E503.20 to E369.80, while a 50kg bag has dropped from E361.20 to E265.80.
Consumers have welcomed the move, particularly vulnerable households that rely on staple foods.
“This will really help us,” said Emmelina Dlamini, an elderly grant recipient in Matsapha. “We depend on maize meal every month. When prices go down, even a little, it makes a big difference because our grant must cover food, electricity and other needs.”
While households anticipate lower maize meal prices in the coming weeks, farmers say uncertainty remains over whether their selling price to NMC will be adjusted downward.
Currently, many local maize producers sell to NMC at approximately E6,000 per tonne. With the new NMC selling price now set at E5,175.00 per tonne, questions have emerged about how the pricing structure will be balanced.
Eswatini National Agricultural Union (ESNAU) Weighs In
The Eswatini National Agricultural Union (ESNAU) has clarified that, at this stage, the price reduction announced by NMC applies to the Corporation’s selling price to millers and other buyers, and not to the buying price offered to farmers.
“As far as we know as an organization, this is a reduction in the price offered by the Corporation to millers and other buyers. There has not yet been any adjustment downwards on the price offered to farmers,” said ESNAU Chief Executive Officer Tammy Dlamini.
Dlamini added that the Union will engage further should there be any review of the producer price.
Farmers Concerned About Margins
Despite the reassurance that no producer price adjustment has been made so far, farmers say clarity remains important.
“As farmers, we are selling to NMC at around E6,000 per tonne. If NMC is now selling at E5,175.00, we need to understand how that gap is structured,” said one of NMC’s suppliers, Thembisile Dlamini, in Mahlabatsini.
Producers argue that input costs remain high. Fertilizer, fuel, seed, labour and transport continue to exert pressure on production margins. Any downward adjustment in farm-gate prices could significantly affect profitability and planting decisions for the next season.
Smallholder farmers also highlighted the importance of predictable pricing, particularly for those servicing agricultural loans or participating in structured grain marketing arrangements.
Market Stability Under Watch
Maize remains Eswatini’s primary staple crop and a cornerstone of national food security planning. NMC plays a strategic role in procurement, storage and distribution, often intervening to stabilize the market during periods of volatility.
For now, consumers are optimistic that the price reduction will translate into lower maize meal prices on retail shelves.
For farmers, however, the focus shifts to the upcoming harvest period, when negotiations over buying prices will determine whether production remains economically sustainable.
