The Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Admarc) has started buying maize from farmers throughout the country for storage in preparation for the lean season.
Admarc’s Chief Executive officer Foster Mulumbe said in an interview that although the corporation has not yet received the K4 billion the government pledged to disburse to the corporation to buy extra maize stocks, the organisation has made a decision to go ahead with the exercise.
Mulumbe, however, expressed optimism that government will disburse the funds in good time so that the exercise is not compromised.
“We are currently buying the country’s staple at K90 per kilogramme and we appeal to farmers to keep their maize and sale it to Admarc as they will also be the ones to benefit in the end,” said Mulumbe
There are fears that when more middlemen intensify the buying exercise, prices may automatically be pushed upwards, a development which may jeopardise Admarc’s plan of mopping up the grain from the market.
Admarc has assured Malawians that it will not allow any political interference in the procurement exercise