Weeks after indicating that it would start buying produce in May, Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) has invaded the market this week purportedly to spare farmers from exploitation by unscrupulous traders.
Admarc spokesperson Theresa Chapulapula said in an interview yesterday that the decision to start buying farm produce this week follows an observation that some farmers have already harvested their crops.
She said the State produce trader is targeting to buy 70 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize using K115 billion at its disposal and that the funds were being disbursed to its various markets.
Said Chapulapula: “We noted that some people have harvested. So, to wait up to May some farmers would be stranded to find a market. So, if we wait for all the regions to harvest, some farmers will suffer.
“About 20 000MT will come from the K20 billion that was allocated from the national budget and the other 50 000MT will come from K95 billion that we have borrowed from commercial banks. But we are still negotiating that we should buy more. So at the moment we are starting with 70 000MT.”
But in separate interviews, some farmers said Admarc was still too late to the party, especially in the Southern Region where most farmers already sold some of their commodities to vendors.
Saidi Kennedy, a farmer from Binali Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Nankumba in Mangochi, said: “Due to challenges, I sold 10 bags of maize to vendors at K35 000 per 50 kilogramme bag. So this is too late for Admarc to start buying from us and this will not serve the purpose of helping farmers.”
Another farmer Smart Namanja, from Matowe Village, T/A Mpama in Chiradzulu, cast doubt on the possibility of Admarc meeting its target, saying farmers have already sold their produce to vendors at a lower price.
Commenting on the matter in a separate interviews, Farmers Union of Malawi chief executive officer Jacob Nyirongo commended Admarc for the decision to start buying farm produce this week.
He noted that this will create competition on the market and ensure that farmers get competitive prices.
Said Nyirongo: “We encourage Admarc to make sure that they open as many markets as possible so that farmers access the markets close to their doorstep. Admarc should also make sure that there is consistence and adequate funding to the markets.”
Admarc CEO Daniel Makata last month indicted that his institution would start purchasing maize in May and it needed K300 billion to buy at least 250 000MT this harvesting season.
Speaking when Admarc appeared before the parliamentary budget cluster committees on Agriculture and Food Security as well as on Natural Resources and Climate Change last month, Makata said the K20 billion allocated to the State grain trader in the 2025/26 National Budget can only buy about 17 000MT of maize.
Government also allocated K40 billion to National Food Reserve Agency in the 2024/25 National Budget also for the procurement of maize this season to make a total of K60 billion for maize purchase.
