Flood market with maize—Committee
Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture has asked government to authorise the sale of 15 960 metric tonnes (MT) of maize belonging to Admarc at less than K500 per kilogramme (kg) to ease the burden on families facing hunger.
The committee has further requested government to distribute relief maize under Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) to vulnerable households.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, committee chairperson Sameer Suleman said in the aftermath of the disasters that hit the country this year, including Cyclone Freddy and dry spells in some parts, many Malawians are food-insecure and lack the financial muscle to buy food.
He also urged the need for government to stock Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) depots with maize to respond to the hunger situation.
Said Suleman: “For the tonnage belonging to Admarc, government should strive to have Admarc recover what it had spent. If it cost K350 or K450 per kg, that should also be the selling price, but it should not be more than K500 per kg. Actually, K500 is too much for people who do not have food and money to buy.
“For the SGR, we want government to distribute it for free as has been the case before. We have to reach people that are facing hunger.”
He said reducing the price of maize would also help control maize prices on the market, adding government should also put in place mechanisms that bar vendors from accessing the Admarc maize.
Currently, in some parts of the country, maize is selling at K40 000 per 50kg bag, which translates to K800 per kg.
Admarc board chairpeson Zachary Kasomokera said the State produce trader’s chief executive officer Daniel Makata was best-placed to comment on the matter, but Makata did not pick up his phone when called for comment.
On the other hand, Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary Dickxie Kampani said he was engaged in meetings and he asked for more time before responding on the matter.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale is tomorrow expected to update Parliament on when Admarc depots will be stocked with maize and start selling to consumers.
On Friday, the minister informed the National Assembly that government has in stock 68 420MT of maize, out of which 52 460MT belongs to the National Food Reserve Agency and 15 960MT is for Admarc.
Government also expects to procure 42 000MT using K12 billion allocated for maize purchases in the 2023/24 National Budget.
On July 27 2023, Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa moved a motion in Parliament for the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that Admarc markets nationwide are stocked with maize and opened to the public to access cheaper maize. He proposed that the markets be opened in August 2023.
He expressed concern that maize prices were skyrocketing, as such, flooding the market with low-cost maize through Admarc markets could influence a reduction in prices offered by private traders.
The motion was supported by both government and opposition MPs, who said the issue of hunger was of serious concern and there was need for government to intervene by re-opening Admarc markets.
Admarc markets were closed in September 2022 after Ministry of Agriculture indicated the parastatal was undergoing reforms.
