Chicken meat and offal market in Malawi

Earlier Report Observations

Between 2018 and 2024, the chicken meat market in Malawi underwent significant fluctuations in volume. Production dropped sharply from 190.6 thousand tons in 2018 to 105.0 thousand tons in 2019, pulling the total market size down from 190.8 to 105.2 thousand tons. This period coincided with a reported 64.22% decline in the value of chicken meat exports from Malawi between 2017 and 2019, reflecting a contraction in external market opportunities that likely contributed to reduced domestic output.

After the 2019 downturn, production partially recovered, peaking at 123.6 thousand tons in 2021 before moderating. From 2022 onward, a notable shift occurred as export volumes began to rise substantially, reaching 4.3 thousand tons in 2023 and 4.9 thousand tons in 2024. This export growth developed alongside price adjustments, with the export price per kilogram predicted around $1.76 and the import price at $1.90 in 2023, indicating evolving trade dynamics that supported external sales.

By the end of the period, the domestic market size had stabilized at approximately 102.2 thousand tons in 2023, still well below the 2018 level. Imports remained minimal throughout, never exceeding 0.4 thousand tons annually, indicating that the market was primarily supplied by domestic production and influenced by its volatile output and expanding export channel.

Production chicken meat and offal in Malawi

In kind, 2017-2020, K t

Top producers of chicken meat and offal, 2017-2020

World map of production of chicken meat and offal, 2017-2020

In 2020, Malawi produced 121.5 thousand tons of chicken meat and offal, marking a significant 15.7% increase from the previous year. Looking at the period from 2017 to 2020, overall production declined by 6.6%, with an average annual growth rate of 2.3%. Production hit its lowest point in 2019 at 105.0 thousand tons, while it peaked in 2018 at 190.6 thousand tons. The most substantial drop occurred in 2019 with a 44.9% decrease, whereas the largest gain was in 2018 with a 46.5% rise.

Annual dynamics of production in Malawi in kind, 2017-2020, K t

Exports chicken meat and offal from Malawi

Exports in kind, t

The export market showed considerable volatility during these years. Exports reached their lowest level in 2020 at 25.1 tons, representing a sharp 59.5% decline from 2019. In contrast, the highest export volume was recorded in 2018 at 122.1 tons, which was a 130.7% increase from the previous year. The gap between these extremes was substantial, with 2020 exports being 4.9 times lower than in 2018.

Annual dynamics of product's exports from Malawi in kind, 2017-2020, t

From 2017 to 2020, Malawi's exports in kind were almost entirely directed to Mozambique, which consistently accounted for 100.0% of total export flows.

Structure of product's exports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's exports from Malawi in kind, 2017-2020

Exports in value, K $ US

The export market in value terms displayed an unstable pattern throughout this period. The lowest value was recorded in 2019 at 71.8 thousand US dollars, which represented a 79.1% decrease from the previous year. In 2020, exports rebounded to 81.8 thousand US dollars, showing a 14.0% increase compared to 2019. The peak occurred in 2017, with the difference between the maximum in 2017 and the minimum in 2019 being 6.8-fold.

Annual dynamics of product's exports from Malawi in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

During 2017–2020, Mozambique dominated the geographical structure of Malawi's chicken meat and offal exports in value terms, holding a 100.0% share of total flows.

Structure of product's exports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's exports from Malawi in value, 2017-2020

Imports chicken meat and offal to Malawi

Imports in kind, t

Malawi's chicken meat and offal imports saw a rebound in 2020 after a two-year decline, reaching 298.6 tons, which was a 21.0% increase from the previous year. Over the full period from 2017 to 2020, imports decreased by 15.3%, translating to an annualized rate of 5.4%. The lowest import volume was in 2019 at 246.8 tons, marking a 22.2% drop from the year before.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Malawi in kind, 2017-2020, t

Between 2017 and 2020, Zambia and South Africa were the two main sources for Malawi's imports in kind, together making up 87.8% of the total. The remaining imports were spread across a variety of other countries.

Structure of product's imports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Malawi in kind, 2017-2020

Imports in value, K $ US

Following a two-year downturn, Malawi's chicken meat and offal imports in value terms increased in 2020, totaling 815.3 thousand US dollars, up 12.9% from 2019. From 2017 to 2020, overall imports fell by 6.3%, with an average annual growth rate of 2.2%. The minimum value was in 2019 at 722.2 thousand US dollars, while the largest decline occurred in 2018 with a 15.3% decrease.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Malawi in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

In the period 2017–2020, Zambia was the leading source for Malawi's imports in value terms, accounting for 75.9% of total flows. The rest was distributed among several smaller trading partners.

Structure of product's imports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Malawi in value, 2017-2020