Uncertainty over the opening of Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) markets has forced some farmers to dispose of their produce at give away prices to private traders to get money for their needs.
Admarc, the State produce trader, buys produce at recommended farm gate prices. However, most of its markets are yet to open.
While Ministry of Agriculture set K2 500 per kilogramme (kg) as the price for beans, farmers at Wimbe and Nyambo trading centres in Kasungu District were on Sunday found selling beans at K1 800 per kg, about 28 percent lower.
The situation is also similar with other commodities such as maize and rice.
Checks at Mbulumbudzi and Masanjala trading centres in Chiradzulu District yesterday showed that vendors were buying maize from farmers at about K700 per kg instead of the recommended minimum farm gate price of K1 050.
On the other hand, at Masaula in Zomba and Chadzunda in Blantyre, some vendors were buying maize from farmers at K800 per kg.
In Migowi, Phalombe and Songani in Zomba, vendors are buying rice at K800 and K1 000 respectively per kg against the recommended minimum price of K1 200 per kg.
However, soya bean farmers are all smiles as vendors are offering as high as K2 200 per kg, almost double the recommended minimum price.
In an interview, Godfrey Majeke, a farmer from Nyambo Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Wimbe in Kasungu, said they are being forced to sell their farm produce to vendors at lower prices due to unavailability of Admarc markets.
“Admarc is yet to open its market here, so we have no option, but to continue selling our commodities to vendors at a lower price,” he said.
Another farmer Patrick Thukuta from Chipini, T/A Mlumbe in Zomba echoed Majeke’s sentiments that absence of Admarc markets forces them to sell their farm produce to vendors.
But Admarc Limited spokesperson Teresa Chapulapula said yesterday the State grain trader opened almost all of its markets and started buying farm produce from farmers two weeks ago.
She, however, suspected that most farmers were not aware that Admarc opened its markets for farm produce purchase.
Said Chapulapula: “Maybe most of the farmers are not aware that we already opened our markets. So we urge farmers to visit our markets and sell their farm produce.”
She could not indicate how many markets were opened and how many metric tonnes (MT) have they purchased so far.
Last month she indicated that Admarc is targeting to procure 70 000 MT of maize from funds already available estimated at about K115 billion.
Admarc chief executive officer Daniel Makata in March this year indicated that his institution would need K300 billion to buy at least 250 000MT of maize from farmers this harvesting season.
