Parliamentary committee seeks to block K24bn funding to Admarc

A parliamentary committee has asked the 193-strong House not to approve a government funding of K24 billion to Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) for maize purchase, saying the State produce-trader are inefficient and incompetent.

Welani Chilenga, chairperson of a joint Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change cluster committee told the House on Tuesday that instead, the money should be channeled to National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) who should be given the mandate to buy the maize.

“There is poor administration at Admarc. We have been told that Admarc has been forced to recruit more people when they are not needed.

“The ministry of Agriculture told us that there are 492 ghost workers at Admarc and Admarc officials told us that 7, 000 metric tonnes of maize rot in Admarc depots because of carelessness, making the governing lose K1 billion,” said Chilenga in an interview later.

Chilenga said NFRA seems well organised now and less corrupt now therefore should be given the money to buy the 96,000 metric tonnes of maize which they could sell during lean period using Admarc depots.

Admarc is one of the highly politicized parastatals in the country stuffed with unqualified personnel, most the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadres and cadets or party children or relations.