Farmers in the country have called on the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) to start buying their produce.

07:22:00 Mulanje Mag 0 Comments



 Admarc depots in Ntcheu, Dedza, Lilongwe, Kasungu and Dowa are often closed and if they are open, no produce is bought from farmers
This is forcing the farmers to resort to selling their produce to vendors at prices which are far lower than government recommended minimum prices.
“Vendors are buying our soya at as low as K150 per kilogram, a price which is far below the recommended price,” said Daniel Mwale, one of the farmers.
Admarc Spokesperson, Agnes Chikoko, insists they have started purchasing produce from farmers in Central Region.
“We are buying beans and soya beans in Lilongwe and we will soon start buying maize upon being given a go ahead by government,” said Chikoko.
Some quarters have been faulting what they call inadequate funding of Admarc which they say is thwarting the grain marketing board’s operations.
In 2018/2019 farm season, Admarc was given K20 billion for the purchase of farm produce from farmers.
But in the mid- year budget review last year, the overall allocation to the ministry of agriculture, which also includes Admarc, was reduced by half.


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