By Dorica Mtenje
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government has been dared as when Agriculture Development Marketing Cooperation (ADMARC) will be reopening amid scarcity of maize whose prices have gone up unreasonably.
Standing on point of order on Tuesday, February 2021, 2023 in the August House, Chitipa South constituency lawmaker Welani Chilenga requested Chakwera government to ensure that maize is available in all ADMARC depots and with no collateral.
Echoing on the same, Blantyre Malabada legislator Ishmael Nkumba said people in his constituents are struggling with the closure of ADMARC depots as the population in the area relays on piece work.
He said as one way of equiping Ndilande people he will construct Ndilande trust that will be helping people to make their own produce as government is not helping matters.
In his response, Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale said the grain trader was never closed as it only stopped selling maize.
Kawale said all maize in the grain traders is no longer on collateral as the maize has been paid for.
He said government is ration the available maize at 25 kilograms per person and it will be sold at MK300 per kilogram.
The minister added that NBS bank has cleared 50,000 metric tones as 10,000 metric tones has rotten.
He said meanwhile ADMARC has received 400 million to relocate the maize to all depots
On his part chairperson for parliamentary committee on Agriculture, Sammer Suleiman said the said 10,000 metric tones has been sold by someone .
Suleiman said government is misleading Malawians that the 10,000 tones is going to be sold to animal feed companies.
