Three weeks after Cotton Council of Malawi opened the cotton marketing season, Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) has assured farmers that it will enter the market by end June.
Admarc spokesperson Theresa Chapulapula in an interview yesterday acknowledged the State produce trader’s delay, but said the problems that the parastatal had were now addressed.
She said: “Currently, Admarc is purchasing maize as part of its ongoing market operations and we will start buying cotton any day before the end of June.
“In the meantime, we are working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure a smooth roll-out and to minimise further delays, and we remain committed to participating fully in the cotton marketing season as soon as possible.”
Cotton Farmers Association (Cofa) chief executive officer Synoden Mbalafana last week said Admarc’s delay has affected many farmers who were eager to use the proceeds to buy staple food a situation that brings no hope to farmers.
He said the farmers were in an awkward situation because the four buyers are given their particular zones, implying that farmers in Admarc zones are still waiting hopelessly while some are falling prey to unscrupulous buyers.
“We rely on Admarc because of its capacity and its ability to drive the prices up above the minimum farmgate price so any delays affect competition, more especially prices, which are the most important areas for farmers,” said Mbalafama, adding that Admarc has more zones.
Cotton market zones assigned to Admarc include Karonga, Nsanje, Mwanza, Phalombe and parts of Balaka, Chikwawa, Nkhotakota and Neno.
In a separate interview, Cotton Council of Malawi spokesperson Prisca Jamali said that two other buyers, Malawi Cotton Company and Masapa Ginners are also yet to enter the market as only Afrisian Limited and Illovo Sugar (Malawi) plc are participating.
Earlier, Secretary to Treasury Cliff Chiunda said the Treasury released K5 billion to Admarc for maize purchase meaning that the State-owned entity is yet to get K55 billion for purchases of other crops including cotton.
This year’s cotton selling season was opened on 25 May 2026 to run for 90 days in 50 designated markets with production estimated at 22 894 metric tonnes (MT), which is higher than the 10 000MT produced last year.
