Admarc ready for crop purchases
The Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) says in two weeks it will start buying crop produce for this season.
In an interview on Wednesday, Admarc chief executive officer Dan Makata said the purchases will start in the Southern Region and some parts of the Central Region where the grain is ready, adding they are targeting maize, soya bean, rice and beans.
He said: “We believe the moisture content in the Southern Region is better and we are ready to start buying.”
Asked whether Admarc has enough markets for the purchasing of produce from farmers in all districts, Makata said there is adequate depots and a workforce in place to handle the produce purchases.
“Admarc has 240 depots that are operational and there are 120 other markets that operate based on demand. If there is high demand, the number of markets will be increased to 360. We may also consider mobile markets,” he said.
According to Makata, Admarc has set aside K22 billion for the procurement of maize nationwide.
Based on the K650 per kilogramme (kg) farm gate price for maize, the K22 billion will cater for about 33 846 metric tonnes (MT) of maize.
Makata said that the State produce trader is targeting to buy 4000MT of rice, 1500MT of soya bean and 1500MT of beans.
“We have already identified markets for crops. We also want to buy groundnuts, there is a customer who want groundnuts,” he said, adding that Admarc is also procuring 10 grain drying machines by next month.
“The machines, which are mobile, will help Admarc procure as much grain as possible.
“So, where there are still issues of moisture content we will be able to dry the grain. These are mobile machines that can be moved to anywhere we are buying maize,” said Makata.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Agriculture Network board chairpeson Herbert Chagona has commended Admarc for going on the market early, saying farmers would want to see Admarc start buying crops early so that they are not exploited by vendors.
Chagona added that Admarc should bear in mind that most farmers were affected by El Nino, hence the need to move with speed to buy what is available for storage.
In the 2024/25 National Budget, government allocated to Admarc K60 billion for recapitalisation. Government also allocated K12 billion to the National Food Reserve Agency for procurement of maize.
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale said government is engaging mega farmers and also producing through its mega farms to help improve food security.
President Lazarus Chakwera recently declared a state of disaster in 23 of the country’s 28 districts affected by El Nino.
About two million farming households require food support. Government has projected the requirement at at 600 000MT of maize to support the families at a cost of K357 billion.
