Tag Archives: National Food Reserve agency (NFRA)

Agriculture

NFRA raises maize buying price to boost supply and combat hoarding

Jones Gadama

The National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) has increased the maize buying price in a bid to boost supply and curb hoarding.

NFRA Chief Executive Officer George Macheka announced in Lilongwe that the agency will now pay MK1,280 per kilogram in open and rural markets, up from MK1,100. Registered mega farmers will receive a higher price of MK1,300 per kilogram.

Macheka explained that the price adjustment responds to reduced deliveries to NFRA depots and aims to outbid private traders who fuel speculation.

This move is part of the agency’s efforts to ensure adequate maize stocks and food security in Malawi.

So far, the strategic grain reserve has collected 37,579 metric tonnes of maize. Of the collected maize, 10,354 tonnes have been released, with 8,978 tonnes allocated to Dodma for emergency stockpiling and 1,376 tonnes to Admarc for price stabilization.

The government has provided NFRA with K30 billion out of the K40 billion budgeted for maize purchases.

Macheka also disclosed that maize is being imported from Tanzania at K943 per kilogram under a government-to-government deal.

However, he emphasized that supporting local farmers remains the priority.

“We cannot, as an institution, just stay and let Malawians suffer… if we don’t buy [enough] now, come December, January, the situation will be pathetic.”

Agriculture, Malawi

Chakwera’s Tonse Govt has no money for Admarc to buy maize

Maravi Post Reporter

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government must be serious once at Malawians lives.

Two weeks after National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) started buying maize, the Ministry of Agriculture is yet to give Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) money to buy staple grain from farmers despite the State produce trader being strategically positioned to do so.

Treasury in May released K6 billion to NFRA to buy maize as part of the MK12 billion allocated in the 2023-24 National Budget for maize purchases.


Admarc board chairperson Zachary Kasomokera told the Nation Newspaper that the corporation has the capacity to buy maize, but government has not provided the institution with money to procure the grain from farmers.

He said: “We are very ready to start purchases. If we had the money today, we would start buying.”

The board chair stressed that it is government’s prerogative to give Admarc the money or not, adding Admarc can only wait for Treasury’s move.

Admarc spokesperson Agnes Ndovi said the corporation cannot procure maize without being directed by government.

Asked if Admarc prepared for the buying season, she said it is not an issue of being prepared or not, but the institution needed to be directed to buy maize.

“The ministry has a choice to choose Admarc or NFRA or both. It can either be NFRA or Admarc. Last year, Admarc was the one buying maize,” said Ndovi.

Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Irrigation chairperson Sameer Suleman expressed sadness over government’s delay to give Admarc money for maize purchases, saying this shows lack of political will to have Admarc up and running.

“It is not Admarc failing. It is the ministry failing Admarc. There is no political will, it is like they want to kill Admarc,” he said.

Suleman added that government should be mindful that the country has not produced enough maize; hence, the need to move with speed to buy the maize and stock it.

“Government is not serious on the issue of maize,” he lamented.

The committee has since decided to meet Admarc and the Ministry of Agriculture to help resolve the issue, saying the country cannot continue to wasting time as maize is being bought by vendors.

When contacted, Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary Dickxie Kampani asked for a questionnaire, but did not respond to the questions by press time at 6pm on Monday.

The ministry earlier indicated that Admarc will be the only public institution to buy maize from farmers this year. Officials committed that the K12 billion will be given to Admarc to buy maize as it is the institution that is strategically positioned to buy maize from farmers.

Government embarked on restructuring Admarc, and has been recruiting new staff to fill over 1 500 vacant positions that were created after all employees were fired in January this year.

Source: Nation Newspaper

Law and order, Malawi

ACB to appeal against Viola, Chingola’s two year suspended sentence on office abuse

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) plans to appeal the two year suspended sentence the Lilongwe Principal Resident Magistrate Court gave to former National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) deputy Chief Executive Officer Gerald Viola.

Principal Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba handed the sentence on Monday, February 27, 2023.

This follows the conviction the court ruled on Viola last week Monday in connection with a MK3.3 billion NFRA maize scandal.

The court found Viola guilty on first charge of misuse of office while his co-convict, businessperson Chrispin Chingola, was found guilty on the count of influencing a public officer to misuse a public office.

In brief statement made available to The Maravi Post while welcoming the sentencing, ACB seems not satisfied hence an appeal against the verdict.

“On 27th February 2023 the Principal Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe sentenced Mr Gerald Viola and Mr Chrispin Chingola to three years imprisonment. The Court has suspended the sentence for two years. Mr Viola was convicted of abuse of office contrary to Section 258 (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act. Mr Chingola was convicted for influencing a public officer to misuse a public office contrary to Section 25 B (2) of the Corrupt Practices Act.

“The Bureau will appeal against the sentence,” reads ACB statement signed by its Principal Public Relations Officer Egrita Ndala.

This comes after general public expressed unsatisfied with also the sentencing of Viola and Chingola regarding the gravel of the matter in fighting against corruption in the country.

In October 2020, ACB arrested Viola and Chingola for unilaterally issuing to Missies Trading a Local Purchasing Order (LPO) number 6750 to supply 10 000 metric tones of maize to NFRA worth MK3.3 billion for the business interest of Chingola of the said Missies Trading Company.

Viola is the former press officer of Peter Mutharika during Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) era.

Law and order, Malawi

Magistrate revokes former NFRA deputy chief Gerald Viola’s bail for court appearance failure

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Principal Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe on Monday, January 30, 2023 revoked bail for former National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gerald Viola for failing to appear before court for delivery of judgement.

Viola alongside businessperson, Chrispin Chingola were found with a case to answer in March 2022 on offences under the Corrupt Practices Act and Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.

Chingola was however available at the court today but his lawyer was absent.

But Viola’s lawyer Luciano Mickeus told Nation Online that he will contest the court’s decision arguing that the defense team was not served with Notice of Delivery of Judgement.

“My client is not to blame for not being in court because he waits to hear from me as his lawyer, and I did communicate to him yesterday (Sunday) that the hearing will not take place. Let ACB produce evidence that the defense was served,” said Mickeus.

Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) chief legal and prosecution officer, Victor Chiwala, the court is expected to set the date for next hearing to deliver the judgement.

Chiwala disclosed that Viola and his lawyer did not appear before court for reasons known to themselves.

Viola is accused of unilaterally issuing a company called Missies Trading Supply an LPO number 6750 to supply 10, 000 metric tones of maize to NFRA.

Malawi

NFRA Chief Brenda Kayongo suspended over MK123m maize disappearance

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brenda Kayongo has been suspended over the missing of 13 trucks carrying Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) maize K123 million.

According to a Memo dated January 12, 2023 made available to The Maravi Post, NFRA Human Resources and Administration Director Humphreys Kalele Gunchi said the suspension is with immediate effect pending further investigations and disciplinary processes.

Suspension letter

“All matters requiring the attention of the Chief Executive Officer should be addressed to the Finance Director, Mr. David Loga. I request all of you to continue working diligently and to provide support to Mr. Loga and the entire Management during this period,” reads part of the Memo.

In November, the local media reported that trucks assigned to deliver 410 metric tones of maize worth MK123 million from Admarc depots to NFRA in Lilongwe did not reach their destination.

NFRA Board chairperson Dennis Kalekeni disclosed that maize went missing through a transporter, Smollett Kachere of Kachere Agriculture Trading, who was one of the three firms hired by NFRA to transfer the maize.

He added that the other companies are Omar’s and Nzeru Za Abambo.

Brenda Kayongo suspended

According to Kalekeni, Omar’s did not participate in the ferrying of the maize despite being given the deal because it was looking for an adjustment in transportation rates in the wake of the 25 percent devaluation of the Kwacha and a significant jump in the cost of fuel.

He observed that Nzeru Za Abambo only uplifted a fraction of the maize because it felt it could not proceed as it was making losses in the deal.

Currently, Maize prices are soaring up to MK25,000.00 per 50kgs from recommended MK15,000.00.

Agriculture, Law and order

Parliament’s PAC questions NFRA capability in absence of full senior officers

Maravi Post Reporter

By Dorica Mtenje

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is not comfortable with the acting positions of senior officials of National Food Reserve agency (NFRA) calls for Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to confirm the position soon.

PAC chairperson, Shadrek Namalomba told Malavi post in an interview that its very unfortunate that the position of Chief Executive Officer ,Director of Finance and Head of Human Resource are all in acting for the past nine months.

Namalomba said the committee will summon OPC to appear before it to answer the cause of the delays.

He said the committee was also sadden to learn that there is no registration giving powers to controller Department of Statutory of corporations and OPC to Micromanage on providing any oversight of any sort of parastatals .

Namalomba said the committee has warned the NFRA officials to avoid using funds that are suppose to be used to purchase maize as they happen to image in an audit query.

The committee condemned the use of the said payment by the controlling officer without engaging the Board.

The committee has therefore called upon the agency to avoid late payment to Malawi Regulatory authority (MRA) to avoid using needed funds elsewhere