Opposition MP forces minister Nankhumwa to explain rotten Admarc maize
Opposition member of parliament on Thursday forced Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development minister Kondwani Nankhumwa to explain how 7 000 tonnes of maize got rotten when the grain was in Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) silos.
Lilongwe city south east MP Ulemu Msungama (MCP) asked Nankhumwa where the maize is kept and how it will be disposed of.
Nankhumwa told the House that the maize was discoloured and declared rotten because it was bought with high moisture content.
He said scientists assessed the maize and declared it “not good for human consumption.”
Nankhumwa said the maize can be processed and be used as livestock feed.
He said the maize is now at Admarc depots at Chilumba, Nkhata Bay, Luchenza, Lilongwe, Golomoti and Malangalanga.
Admarc acting chief executive officer Margaret Roka-Mauwa told Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Climate Change that most of the rotten maize was in their Northern Region depots where people do not buy much maize because it is not their staple food.
She said the maize had been there for the past three years.
“We have about 7 000 tonnes of de-coloured maize in the Northern Region. It is not that the maize was in one place but in various depots, this is so because we have learnt that most people in the North do not depend on maize as a staple food.
“Many eat matoki, cassava flour and rice. So, this affected the buying patterns on maize, making most depots have stock which people didn’t buy.”
United Democratic Front (UDF) legislator for Machinga East legislator Esther Jolobala said it was irking to hear that maize was rotting in Admarc depots when people in her area were dying of hunger.
The cost of the rotten maize is K1.7 billion.
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khokhokhokho
from ashamed cadet.
nakhumwa fat arse screwed up.
When did government know or realise the northern region has a different stable food other than maize? Why stocking the northern region with all that maize? And how does it explain the rotten maize in Central, Southern and Eastern regions?
Somebody is not telling the whole truth on this matter. Information on ground shows that all the 7000Mt of maize was sold to vendors at MK100 per Kg. Honourable Mps, go and verify stocks in depots which are near where you are.
Admarc!!! You only have one job. The incompetence in this establishment is beyond repairable. Fire the CEO.
It’s obvious that somebody has been negligent of their duties and responsibilities. We know that every department has its check and balance procedures to ensure food or any products they use stays in good condition. Somebody must take responsibility for this waste. I hope as we stand now some one is on suspension pending investigation. If not then this rubbish will continue to happen as normal cry my beloved country !!!
I find the explanation by the minster to be in contradiction with that of tbe CEO of ADMARC. It impossible to keep moist maize for just a year and yet you claim you kept it for three years. The CEO said the maize was kept for three years and the minster lies that the grain got rotten because it was bought while moist. Do we have the right man spearheading the once admired ministry? Kho you can do better.
To start with, who is supposed to check the moisture content of the crop before its purchased by ADMARC? Was that done? And why would ADMARC buy moist
maize? Have heads rolled at ADMARC prior to the presentation of the case to Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources? I mean it only appropriate to ensure that those responsible for quality control and purchase of the grain explain this misfortune with high sense of responsibility and accountability. Magret you are a shame to your own professional background.
Seicondly, it is a well known observation that ADMARC has in every marketing season for the past six years delayed to come on the grain market under the pretext that it had no money. With such delays the explanation that it bought moist maize is laughable.
Why are you still keeping the rotten grain and yet the logical thing would have been to dispose it and provide an account of how this? Further delay means a lot of losses.
Every year ADMARC does stock taking which among other things checks on quality of their stock. What happened to such an exercise from year 1 to year 3? What were the recommendations from such stock takings? Should we assume such an exercise was halted? Should we suspect that the reports on stock assessment got a deaf or dull year? Mwatinamizi spa a Minister ndi Mayi Roka.
I only work away with the hypothesis that ADMARC never bought the maize or it had shortages on it stock and would want to clear that through declaring that the maize was rotten.
May the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources take up this matter like you did with maize gate. Inquire on this issue using the questions inhale raised and those which you may get from other professionals on maize and ADMARC operations.
The maize had been bought with high moisture content and had been sitting in the depots for three years?
You’d think that dehumidifiers could have been installed in the buildings and that monitoring aught to be done regularly.
Inefficiencies and unprofessionalism abound when the government becomes preoccupied with nepotism and cronyism.
North should vow not to let that maize go ,reduce the price we will eat.
So why send more maize to the north when you know that it’s not their staple food? How stupid could you be? ALhomwe opanda nzeru. This country is being run by chicken heads. Someone made that stupid decision unfortunately there is no accountability in this tipex government.
It happens when maize it’s too much
The abuse of power and nepotism of DPP through APM as advised by Muhara and Lomwe PSs including Chisale is leading to wastage of resources and the maize Malawi can not afford. Put people in jobs when they are qualified and maintain them when they perform. That is how a government is run. Your DPP Margaret Mauwa is not qualified and should not have been at ADMARC as Director in the first place. You removed her from being Deputy Minister in Agriculture and then reward her with a top position at ADMARC, what a blunder! Let’s learn that DPP is not a qualification where technical skills, knowledge and qualifications are needed. If us cadets know this why not APM and Muhara the most docile Chief Secretary ever to be at OPC? Shame for DPP Government . STOP THE NEPOTISM otherwise do not cry tomorrow when your kids pay for your selfishness! We also learn that nepotism is against the constitution and therefore a crime in Malawi. In DPP there are too many criminals by now such as APM, Muhara, Kasaila, Chisale, Mukhitos, Mwandidyas, Ben Phiri, Namarika, Nankhumwa, Mwanamveka, Muchachas and Magalasi among others.