Chaponda irked with Goodall over Eurostar maize deal despite Malawi Cabinet rejection

Agriculture Minister George Chaponda is fuming wigh anger against Goodall Gondwe, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning for continueing to get   involved in direct procurement of maize for over a K7.5 billion deal despite Cabinet rejection.

Gondwe: Eirostar deal is  Cashgate like
Gondwe: Eurostar deal is Cashgate like

Chaponda is also not amused that Gondwe is sidestepping him in procuring the grain and not the responsible ministry.

Gondwe has procured maize directly from outside Malawi by signing contracts on behald of Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Admarc) to get 300,000 metric tonnes.

But Chaponda feels Gondwe is procuring maize “unilaterally” and that it is “against the set rules.”

Cabinet rejected   a K7.5 billion governments’maize deal after  donors raised eyebrows as Treasury was dealing with a foreign intermediary company amid fears of overpricing.

The decision to purchase about 100 000 metric tonnes of maize came after government announced that 6.5 million people in the country will face hunger this year due to low maize harvests in the 2015/16 as a result of the prolonged dry spell which reduced maize yields by 39 percent.

Gondwe is dealing with  Dubai-based intermediary called Eurostar Trading Company.

Cabinet reaised questions over the company’s capacity after it turned out that the company was to obtain a $105 million loan from the PTA Bank to procure the maize on behalf of government to be repaid at 2 percent interest up to 2018.

Treasury was supposed to act as guarantor of the loan.

The deal is “Cashgate-like”  with  concerns of overpricing for purposes of wrongful self-enrichment.

The maize is to be purchased for State grain marketer Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc).

But Gondwe has defended the deal said Treasury had done “due diligence”.

This development comes after newspaper reports indicated that government is processing a U$105 million loan (about K75 billion in current exchange rate) through American financial giant JP Morgan Chase for Admarc to import 300,000 metric tonnes of maize.

This loan has a 2 percent repayment rate and will run for 14 years which include a grace period of four years.

The tonnage from this loan is part of the 490,000 metric tonnes which will be made available to Admarc over a period of five months.

Malawi News reported that JP Morgan Chase line of credit is one of several which the government is undertaking for the purpose of maize procurement in its response to the dire food situation in the country.

The government has also established a line of credit with the PTA Bank to finance the importation by Admarc of 100,000 metric tonnes of maize from Zambia.

It has also provided two bank guarantees to CDH Investment Bank for the procurement of an estimated 90,000 metric tonnes of maize on the local market.

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Thawale
Thawale
7 years ago

Pamalawi chilungamo chidapita ndi kamuzu pano people they want to getrich on the back of the poor..if I was peter munthali ndikada khaulitsa andale …I could ve changed malawi for the poor malawians……even if andiphe ..koma ndikadakhaulitsa including IG …. police yanthu ikulowa bwemba… bcouse chilungamo sichuyenda

Mulomwe
Mulomwe
7 years ago

God give us the wisdom and brevity to fight back and remove these people from power. Anthu oipa mitima a dpp

Mlenje
7 years ago

Pathetic government, clueless indeed allowing pipo to steal government money just like that and do nothing. Hunger has now become a tool to enrich yourselves, THERE IS A DAY OF JUDGEMENT your stolen money will not save you. Eat now and satisfy your selfishness for when the time comes you will not.

Rrrrrrrr
Rrrrrrrr
7 years ago

The figures reported here seem not to be verified. If you divide the amounts reported by A Wanga Gwede here, the maize has been priced at MK88/kg and each of the 6.5 million affected persons will get a share of 40kg.

Chriss phiri
Chriss phiri
7 years ago

Lavuta apa ndi dyera makosanawa

be humane
be humane
7 years ago

its better to be led by a headless live leader that a dead opposition leader. Peter Mutharika must be our lesser evil that Chakwera. So come 2019, he will be back in power. Love it or hate it

Fisi Nicholas Harry
Fisi Nicholas Harry
7 years ago

For the first time I feel aGondwe is doing the right thing. Chaponda can’t be trusted with cash to buy food for the poor. He is right to go it alone, cabinet approval or not!

HE the Life President Mfuti Kasinja?
HE the Life President Mfuti Kasinja?
7 years ago

Zimenezo ndiye za utsiru, zau machende ndi za nkutu, the president is against corruption and Goodall is at it. Mr Dearest President, fire Goodall, arrest him and let him die in that jail.

Baba wa Boyi
Baba wa Boyi
7 years ago

Are you that stupid to think Gondwe would be doing that without the approval of the President. If you must know, Chaponda is probably the one with one foot out of the door. If there is minister who tries to do the right thing, it is Gondwe, times are just hard. Gondwe is nor corrupt. A corrupt person does not start being corrupt because they are in Malawi. Bingus history of misuse of public funds started being heard way before he became president, Goodall was acting president of ADB (Malawi government(JZU)refused to endorse him as president) did you Malawians even… Read more »

sabata
sabata
7 years ago

We Malawians do we really love our country. This issue of hunger has just now become cashgate tool. Tiyeni nazoni come 2019 we still vote you back to government period very sad

Opals
Opals
7 years ago

Borrowing for consumption. Pathetic.

Samsung Nokia
7 years ago
Reply to  Opals

Zomvesadi chisoni…..tidya then nkupita ku toilet…kuiwala. nkumalipilano ngongole 14 years….atsogoleliwa ndi mbuli za anthu

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