By Samuel Kalimira:
Some Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) depots across the country remain out of stock for maize, despite a presidential directive to the Ministry of Agriculture to restock.
Recently, President Lazarus Chakwera assured that his government would stock Admarc depots with maize as a means of improving supply, which would subsequently lower demand and reduce prices.
However, a snap survey conducted in various districts has revealed that some depots have run out of maize while others have limited stock.
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Our visit to Nsanje Admarc Depot on Monday showed that the warehouse was empty as local residents said maize was depleted last week.
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Admarc officials reportedly advised them to wait for a new delivery scheduled for this week.
Similar situations were observed at the Kasungu Depot in the Central Region and at Chibanja and Chibavi satellite depots in Mzuzu City, where residents said they received maize only once in December last year.
Equally, at Karonga Admarc Depot, people were seen queuing to purchase maize on Monday, a scene replicated at Chinamwali in Zomba—Malawi’s old capital.
Both the Ministry of Agriculture and Admarc are yet to respond to our questionnaire.
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However , Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale recently affirmed the government’s commitment to making maize available and ensuring that all Malawians have access to affordable food.
In an interview, Consumers Association of Malawi Executive Director John Kapito acknowledged the government’s efforts to open Admarc depots but said implementation has been a problem.
Kapito suggested that the ministry should be providing regular updates informing Malawians about depots that have maize.
“Last week, we observed a decrease in maize prices by private traders when the supply increased. Therefore, if we can maintain a stock of maize in all depots, people will be able to access the grain without difficulty,” Kapito said.
Admarc is currently selling maize at K600 per kilogram (kg) and it is being rationed at 25kg per person.
In areas like Chitipa and Karonga, maize prices have dropped from K15,000 to K12,500, owing to relief maize distribution and the lifting of maize importation ban.
