Admarc sets out to draw 10 000MT maize

The Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Admarc) is working out logistics to draw 10 000 metric tonnes (MT) from strategic grain reserves (SGRs) for sale in its 240 markets nationwide.

Admarc general manager Daniel Makata in an interview yesterday said the State produce trader was drawing a programme for transporters to ferry the maize from the Central and Northern regions where it is currently stored.

“Transporters will be dispatched this week. We are targeting to sell it in all Admarc depots across the country. The 10 000MT is equivalent to 200 000 bags of 50 kilogramme [kg] each,” said Makata.

He said the distribution process will need of about K3 billion which was already approved on Monday.

“We requested funding and got approval. The funds will be drawn whenever we need them for the exercise,” said Makata.

Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale said each market in the Northern Region will be given 75MT while outlets in the Central and Southern regions will get 85MT each.

Meanwhile, Grain Traders Association of Malawi president Grace Mijiga Mhango said the private traders’ market does not have enough maize.

She said: “For now, the best is for government to import maize as a buffer. The challenge that we have is that we cannot import as private sector because of the ban effected on Tanzania.

“Those of us in the formal sector may not bring, but those in the informal sector will likely be smuggling.”

The SGR Committee last December authorised Admarc to draw 10 000MT from the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA).

This was a second consignment after 12 640MT was drawn early last year  which was distributed to selected districts in the Southern Region in response to Cyclone Freddy which destroyed most crop fields.

Meanwhile, Kawale has said government has completed the Functional Review which has restructured Admarc at all levels.

He posted on his Facebook wall: “[We have] a total of 11 divisions across the country. These will replace the current Regional Offices (3) and District Offices (15) which have been abolished.

“A total of 240 permanent markets, not less than one market in every constituency. The permanent markets are to be supplemented by seasonal markets established on need basis for purposes of buying or selling.”

The minister said the total staff establishment to support the new structure is 1 575 posts at various grades, down from 4 064 posts in the previous structure.”

The maize in Admarc depots will be sold at K600 per kilogramme.

According to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) over 4.4 million people are at risk of acute hunger this year due to maize shortage.

In Karonga, Zomba and Mangochi the hunger situation has pushed people to buy bran from private traders as they could not afford the price of maize.

For instance in Mangochi, a 50 kg bag of maize is trading at about K50 000 while in Karonga it is trading between  K38 000  and K40 000 which is unaffordable to many.