Admarc wants MBS to retest ‘rotten’ maize
Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) has engaged Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to undertake a fresh test on the alleged “rotten” maize to ascertain whether it is fit for consumption, it has emerged.
Briefing the Parliamentary Agriculture and Food Security, and Natural Resources and Climate Change budget cluster in Lilongwe yesterday, Admarc head of finance Chrissy Nyirenda said the State produce trader initially checked the quality of the maize and found that out of 63 000 metric tonnes (MT) that was under NBS Bank plc collateral, 50 000MT was approved for human consumption while 13 000MT did not meet the requirements.
She said: “MBS has been engaged to do the test again to see whether the maize is fit for consumption or not. We cannot say the maize is rotten, that is why we have engaged MBS.
“Once they give us a report, we can conclude accordingly. And after the report that is when we will be able to tell which parameters have not been complied with for that maize. So, for now we cannot say the status of that maize until we have that report.”
Nyirenda was responding to a request by Machinga East legislator Esther Jolobala (United Democratic Front) for the cluster members to visit Admarc to check the maize that is said to be unfit for human consumption.
Following her response, Jolobala wondered if engaging MBS meant that Admarc did not trust the entity that was initially tasked to vet the maize.
Taking his turn, committee chairperson Sameer Suleman maintained that there is no maize that is rotten and that the government must stop playing games.
He said: “Government must stop playing games with food. I said it in Parliament that there is no maize that is rotten. Right now, they are going from market to market trying to pick whatever kilogrammes they can get of rotten maize, and putting it in bags so that they can claim that this is the rotten maize that they were talking about.
“There has never been maize that was rotten and there has never been maize that is unsuitable for human consumption. That was just created. I don’t know for what reasons.”
In his recent statement to Parliament, Minister of Finance and
Economic Affairs Sosten Gwengwe said the World Bank did not pay for 10 000MT of maize valued at about K3 billion because it was rotten and unfit for human consumption.
But in his presentation to the same House later, Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale disputed the claim that the maize was rotten, arguing it had only been fumigated and the quantity was not 10 000MT, but 12 304MT.
Suleman has insisted on an inquiry or audit to establish the state and quantities of maize at Admarc.
NBS Bank maize tonnage under collateral was 63 041.27MT and the World Bank helped government to procure about 50 000MT, which is now under the Strategic Grain Reserve.
The remaining maize was earlier reported to be unfit for human consumption.
