DRIVING A SUNFLOWER VALUE CHAIN IN MALAWI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

This policy briefing examines the potential for developing a domestic sunflower value chain in Malawi, identifying bottlenecks in production and processing while highlighting opportunities for industrial growth and diversification from traditional crops.

• Sunflower production in Malawi is significantly lower than other priority oilseeds; in 2016, sunflower production was 15,736 metric tonnes (mT) compared to 132,417mT for soybean.
• The sunflower value chain is primarily driven by edible oil production because sunflower cake is high in fibre and low in protein, making it less attractive for the poultry industry than soybean.
• A critical bottleneck to cost-effective production is the lack of certified seed, though a May 2018 Seed Policy aims to address this by enabling the domestication of the SADC Seed Protocol to allow tested seeds from other countries to enter Malawi without re-testing.
• Local processors face competition from cheaper, higher-quality sunflower oil from South Africa and illegal trade, including palm oil smuggled from Mozambique and refined oil mislabelled as crude oil to avoid tariffs.
• To improve processor profitability, there is a need to develop a consistent market for sunflower cake, including expanding exports to Zambia and Zimbabwe and increasing its use as a filler (5–10%) in domestic poultry feed.
• Sunseed Oil, a major local processor, opened a 'fridge-free' margarine production facility in 2017 to address the lack of household refrigeration in Malawi, creating a demand for 14,000mT of sunflower per year.

APA

MARKOWITZ, C. (2018). DRIVING A SUNFLOWER VALUE CHAIN IN MALAWI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Policy-Briefing-179.pdf

Chicago

MARKOWITZ, CHELSEA. DRIVING A SUNFLOWER VALUE CHAIN IN MALAWI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Policy-Briefing-179.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MARKOWITZ |first1=CHELSEA |title=DRIVING A SUNFLOWER VALUE CHAIN IN MALAWI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Policy-Briefing-179.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{markowitz2018driving, author = {MARKOWITZ, CHELSEA}, title = {{DRIVING A SUNFLOWER VALUE CHAIN IN MALAWI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Policy-Briefing-179.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }