The Maize Control Board (MCB) formed in 1947 was supposed to ensure that Malawi's maize supplies were maintained and to guarantee minimum prices to farmers.
After the 1949 famine, the MCB promoted maize production and exports, but when world prices fell in the 1950s, it abandoned the import and export trade, and the Nyasaland administration discouraged maize production in agriculturally unsuitable areas.