Mutharika bemoans ‘moral recklessness’ queuing for maize in Admarc: Warns crooked officials

President Peter Mutharika has warned will take action against corrupt Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) officials conniving and selling government maize to vendors in bulks, thereby creating grain shortage in official selling outlets.

Tired and hungry Malawians have to queue  to get maize
Tired and hungry Malawians have to queue to get maize

Vendors, whom some are sourcing their commodity from Admarc, are selling the grain at exorbitant price with a 50kg bag going at a minimum of K15,000 in some markets. Admarc sells 50kg bag at K5, 500.

Mutharika in a statement to the nation on Wednesday labelled what is happening to the maize at Admarc depots as totally unacceptable.

“I am further informed that some Admarc officials are conniving together with some criminal maize vendors, who buy Admarc maize at night and sell it to poor Malawians elsewhere at very exorbitant prices,” said Mutharika.

“In some places poor Malawians are forced to buy this maize at K15, 000 per 50kg bag, because they cannot find maize at Admarc”.

Mutharika branded the conduct of some vendors and crooked Admarc officials as outrageous and most criminal.

“It is moral recklessness which I am not going to tolerate, or allow continuing. I must warn everyone strongly that such atrocities by criminal Admarc maize vendors have got to stop immediately. I have instructed the Police to investigate thoroughly, and take vigorous action. If they catch you, you will go to jail. So you better stop right away”.

The President assured the nation that police will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that these culprits do not return on the scene to steal more maize.

Mutharika has since called on Malawians to be more patriotic and help police apprehend vendors and Admarc officials conniving to divert the maize which is meant to be available for those genuinely in need of it.

Media reports stated that a woman in township of Ndirande in Blantyre fainted while queuing on an empty stomach to buy maize at Ndirande-Chinseu Admarc depot.

Reports stated that the woman whose identity is not verified was pushed by the crowd and fell to the ground but regained conscious after being taken to a local health clinic.

An assessment by government last year indicated that about 2.8 million will experience food shortage and need assistance.

Currently, the food shortage situation is worsening in the country and people are spending nights at Admarc depots just to access the grain which are only allowed to buy a minimum of 20kgs per individual.

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no fear
no fear
8 years ago

Bakili muluzi style imaphweka akamayendesa wina uwona iwe talika ulibe chikondi muthu oyipa

Ellias
Ellias
8 years ago

Koma zoona tidzivutika ku admarc kopanda chimanga pamene cashgate assets zilipo? osawalanda bwanji and buy maize

paguza
paguza
8 years ago

vendors must stop selling maize on the markets instead Admarc must buy maize from vendors to be sold to those in need of maize

MBUMBA
MBUMBA
8 years ago

Ngo”ombe ZAZIMUNA
YABVYUTA NGOLO MAKOKEDWE
APA !!

YAYIKAZI IJA BOLANINSO !

Nothing but the Truth
Nothing but the Truth
8 years ago

All this is happening because government seriously blundered by not ensuring that there is adequate maize. It is a big mistake for Peter Mutharika to blame vendors. Where there is shortage of a commodity prices rise. The DPP govt is failing.

Nyausithobwa
Nyausithobwa
8 years ago

The only way to discourage this is to put a cap on the price of maize. Every 50kg bag shood be sold at K5500.00 anybody found selling maize more than this price should be jailed. Simple then you will see that nobody will be bothered to buy it at K5500.00 and sell it at the sane price. Ndasova. Check in developed countries where you be lived for 40 years APM where they control prices? zonse zikubwerazi ndi chilango chobera Ma voti komanso kudzibisa mu cashgate.

CHEMBYIYE WAN'G''ONO
CHEMBYIYE WAN'G''ONO
8 years ago

Government must seriously consider changing polices on maize trade. It does not make sense for Government to subsidize maize production, allow traders to buy traders to buy at low prices who are reselling the same maize to the community at a high price. Government must ban maize trade by private traders. Once farmers produce the crop, Government must arrange to buy all the excess maize from farmers, keep it in the silos and regulate the trade. In other words, maize must be removed from the list of cash crops and be taken as a Government protected crop. I am of… Read more »

AnzeruNdife
AnzeruNdife
8 years ago

All talk and no action. Catch just 1 official and we will take this rhetoric seriously.

inayakeinayake
inayakeinayake
8 years ago

Sad that you are putting NO mechanism to curtail the situation instead your putting another corrupt body of the government (Police) to carry on.
The issue is all about supply and demand. Stock all Admarc depots with maize, demand will decrease affecting price the of maize sold by vendors vis-a-vi reducing their selling price.
But shouting and threatening people will NOT salvage nor solve the problem.
Statements such as if the people require more maize then we’ll order additional shows lack of commitment and unwillingness to sort out the underlying problem.

Gwala
Gwala
8 years ago

Zimenezi nde zomwe zikufunika mumachedwa kuti kodi a president mumayenera kupanga action mwansanga chimanga pa lime depot ku balaka chinafika zana matumba 200 bags masana 12:00 oclocko kungogawa matumba 51 bags after 2 hours kusega office ya admarc nkuwauza antu kuti kwasala 48 bags bas

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