Admarc starts crop purchases minus maize

State produce trader Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) says it will today start buying crops such as groundnuts and soya beans, but will not buy the staple grain maize in the interim.

Admarc spokesperson Agnes Ndovi said in an interview on Sunday the purchases will start in the Central Region where beans, groundnuts and soya beans are ready for the market.

She said purchases in the Southern and Northern regions will start at a later date, depending on assessment of crops that are ready.

Ndovi said Admarc has pended maize purchases because the grain has not yet reached the right moisture content level for storage, as such, they will only start buying after it dries properly.

“We are monitoring the situation. We have been carrying out assessment for moisture content. The maize has not reached the right moisture content. If we buy now and put in our storage facilities, it will get rotten and we will be blamed for that,” she said.

On the budget for crop purchases, Ndovi said Admarc was allocated K4 billion as start-up packages for its recapitalisation and  will use the funds to buy crops that are ready.

She said Admarc is waiting for funding for maize purchases as approved by Parliament during the Budget Meeting in March this year.

In the 2023/24 National Budget , government allocated K12 billion for maize purchases.

 Ministry of Agriculture earlier indicated that the K12 billion would be given to Admarc for maize purchases, but the money is yet to be released for the exercise.

However, Admarc acting general manager Ethel Zilirakhasu is on record as having said the State produce trader is waiting for the Ministry of Agriculture to give instruction on when to start buying maize, as well as provide funding for the same.

She said the ministry is better-placed to know when the maize purchases will be done.

Zilirakhasu said Admarc, which is operating with skeleton staff after all employees were retrenched in February this year as part of restructuring, said the available staff will be able to handle crop purchases.

 Admarc aims to conclude recruitment by July 31 2023.

Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary Dickxie Kampani did not pick our calls on several attempts.

Ministry of Agriculture set farm gate price for maize at K500 per kilogramme (kg), up from K250 last year. However, some areas vendors are buying the grain at between K200 and K250 per kg.