Malawi: Economy — Infoplease.com

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Malawi (Africa)

Encyclopedia—Malawi

Economy

Malawi is among the world's least developed countries, with most of the population involved in subsistence agriculture. The principal crops are corn, potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses, peanuts, and macadamia nuts. Tobacco, tea, sugarcane, cotton, and tung oil are produced on large estates. With the aid of foreign investment, Malawi has instituted a variety of agricultural development programs. Large numbers of cattle, goats, poultry, and pigs are raised.

There are small fishing and forest products industries. Deforestation has become a problem as the growing population uses more wood (the major energy source) and woodland is cleared for farms. Practically no minerals are extracted, but there are unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite. Malawi's industry is limited to the processing of tobacco, tea, sugar, and lumber and the manufacture of basic comsumer goods.

Leading imports are foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured consumer goods, and transportation equipment; the principal exports are tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, and apparel. The chief trade partners are South Africa, the United States, and Mozambique. Most of the country's foreign trade is conducted via Salima, a port on Lake Nyasa, which is connected by rail with the seaport of Nacala in Mozambique.

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The mood turns ugly. (Malawi's economy declines) (African Business)

Sugar boosts Malawi's economy. (African Business)

'Green gold' loses its lustre: tobacco has long been a backbone of Malawi's economy. However this year's sales have been suspended with disagreements on prices, posing a real threat to the country's already weak economy. Lameck Masina reports.(MALAWI) (African Business)

The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Livelihoods, Poverty and the Economy of Malawi (African Studies Review)

The great green fuel conversion; Malawi has taken up Brazil's lead and is now planning to switch from petrol to ethanol as the main vehicle fuel. Experiments on converting cars to run on this fuel have gone well and greater use of ethanol will be healthy for the economy. But is this campaign too soon and too ambitious? Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre.(MALAWI) (African Business)

Rise of a new African star; Malawi's economic performance continues to astonish. The IMF is now predicting that this Southern African country will buck the global trend and not only register the fastest growth in Africa, but is likely to come in with the second-fastest growth in the world. Lameck Masina reports.(MALAWI) (African Business)

Customary land tenure reform and development: a critique of customary land tenure reform under Malawi's National Land Policy. (Law, Social Justice and Global Development Journal)

Taiwan dumped for China: the government of Malawi has finally established diplomatic relations with mainland China, ending months of speculation over moves to sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan. This brings to an end a 42-year relationship. Lameck Masina reports.(MALAWI) (African Business)

The experience of family foster care in Malawi: A preliminary investigation (Child Welfare)

Fertiliser success stuns western donors: fed up with having to beg for food aid, Malawi's president Mutharika defied donor conditionalities and provided the country's struggling farmers with subsidised fertilisers. the result was stunning. Malawi changed overnight from a food aid importer to an exporter.(MALAWI) (African Business)

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