The European Union (EU) has completed rehabilitation of four silos at the Strategic Grain Reserves (SGR) complex managed by the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) at Kanengo in Lilongwe.
Besides the physical rehabilitation, EU has also provided NFRA with new equipment such as stock management and temperature control software, four conveyor belts, six sewing machines for bags, splicing machine and a lift to enhance efficiency.
Speaking during the handover ceremony yesterday, EU Head of Delegation Marchel Gerrmann said the four silos were rehabilitated at the request of the Malawi Government and the EU spent 1.7 million euro (about K1.2 billion) on the project.
He said: “The rehabilitation of the silos followed the May 2013 incident when it was discovered that 30 000 metric tonnes of maize was unfit for human consumption due to water infiltration in the silos predominantly due to lack of maintenance.”
In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Allan Chiyembekeza said the rehabilitation of silos will go a long way in improving the management of the system and enhance transparency and accountability.
He said the project will also help government to communicate more accurate information and make informed decisions on the full security management in Malawi.
The silos were commissioned in 1979 and the Kanengo silos complex is the largest SGR site in Malawi. n
