Using bank loans guaranteed by government, Admarc has started buying maize in all regions from June this year and lately started importations from Zambia, according to officials.
This is the corporation’s efforts to save a situation in the country where 2.8 million people are likely to face starvation, according to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment (Mvac) report.
Admarc spokesperson Agnes Ndovi, in a response to a questionnaire, said her organisation started buying maize in all the three regions from farmers from early
June this year.
Ndovi said: “The inflow is quiet encouraging considering that some part of
the country experienced floods and drought.
“To encourage bulk purchases or farmers to bring more volumes, Admarc has introduced depot/market delivery points in all the three regions, whereby if a farmer or trader delivers good quality maize above one tonne, they will be bought at a negotiated price.”
She said this was to encourage farmers/traders to sell their maize to Admarc.
Maize from Zambia
On Wednesday, there was official reception of the maize from Zambia in Lilongwe overseen by officials from Admarc where trucks started offloading the imported maize.
Admarc’s chief executive officer (CEO) Foster Mulumbe told the media the source in Zambia would not manage to supply the anticipated 50 000 metric tonnes, and would instead supply lower than that.
He said locally, Admarc was anticipating to source 35 000 metric tonnes, down from the expected 50 000 metric tonnes due to the hoarding of the commodity by some farmers in anticipation of improved prices.
Low stock in BT depots
As the country draws closer to the lean period in food availability, maize is already scarcely available in most Admarc depots in the City of Blantyre.
For example at the Zingwangwa depot, the maize, sold at K100 per kg or K5 000 for a 50 kilogramme bag, stocks do not last a day when the depot is stocked, according to residents interviewed randomly.
The same case happens in Bangwe Township.
Chikho Kachawa, a resident of Zingwangwa in the city, said he cannot rule out that private traders were worsening the situation as they send errand boys to buy them the maize for resale at a profit.
In markets around Blantyre, traders are selling a 50 kg bag of maize at between K8 000 and K9 000, and the people interviewed randomly fear the price will go up to K15 000 during the lean period.
But Admarc’s chief executive officer Foster Mulumbe is on record having said that the corporation was rationing the selling of the maize to cut out the private traders that take advantage of the cheap maize.
The private traders either resale the maize immediately at a profit or keep it for resale at exorbitant prices when the country experiences severe food shortage.
The country, according to Ministry of Agriculture, requires 150 000 metric tonnes to avert the impending hunger this year, and National Food Reserve Agency is expected to complement Admarc in sourcing the maize.
How to avoid food wastages during meals?
- Simply take a moment to ask your body what it wants to eat, and how much — and then serve yourself that. Or simply start with less food on your plate. If you want more, you can always go back for it.
- Split the dish. If eating out, split a dish with a friend so you don’t waste half of the giant portion sizes found at many restaurants.
- At restaurants, take home leftovers. Even if you’re not into splitting meals, those portion sizes don’t have to be wasted.
- When eating in a cafeteria, skip the tray. Doing so is associated with a reduction in food waste, possibly because it’s harder for people to carry more food than they can actually eat.
.Monitor what you throw away and store your food properly in a freezer.http://greatist.com/health/how-to-ways-reduce-food-waste
