Shady maize deals hit Karonga Admarc: Priority given to vendors

Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) officials in Karonga are pocketing thousands of kwacha in bribes to sell out maize to vendors at the expense of deserving Malawians who are spending days without help, Nyasa Times can reveal.

Minister of Agriculture Dr Allan Chiyembekeza visited Karomga and noted miaze is on high demand
Minister of Agriculture Dr Allan Chiyembekeza visited Karomga and noted miaze is on high demand
Eliza Ngwira who is the marketing officer for Karonga main ADMARC depot
Eliza Ngwira who is the marketing officer
for Karonga main ADMARC depot

A weeklong investigation we’ve carried out shows that Malawians in need – including the elderly and people with disabilities – are spending up to four days without help while unscrupulous vendors hardly spend a day without getting the officials’ VIP attention.

According to our findings, the officials are using delaying tactics – serving few deserving customers over magnitude of time – so that they can serve vendors after official closing time – 4:30pm.

“I have been coming here for four consecutive days without getting help. They always say it is time up when my turn nears,” Brenda Mwangonde, 45, told Nyasa Times.

Another customer Grace Kapesa said: “This is how we are treated when we come to buy maize at this depot. We have been here for almost four days without buying maize as the officers deliberately sell to us for a few hours beginning from 11: 00 am.”

The corporation in Karonga is supposed to sell one hundred bags of maize per day but by 4:30 pm only about fifty six bags are sold, and the rest after close of official time.

The rest of the bags, we have learnt, are sold to vendors who start arriving at the main unit in Karonga at dusk.

On Friday night, Nyasa Times caught red-handed Karonga ADMARC marketing officer Eliza Ngwira in discussions with about ten vendors – mostly men – at around 8: 00 pm.

Ironically, the transactions were being held in the dark – Karonga suffered a blackout during the night.

Ngwira admitted to Nyasa Times that it was “wrong” for her to engage in the transactions at the time but was quick to say that it was “due to the large number of customers they received during normal working hours” that forced them “to extend.”

Said Ngwira: “Of course we are not mandated to stop selling after 3:00pm but today we had a lot of customers that already paid for the maize.”

Karonga ADMARC manager a W.D Kumbanira said in an interview that the “rules of the game do not allow customers to take home receipts after they have paid.”

But our assessment indicated Ngwira’s response was only a scapegoat since while “the rules of the game” provide that customers should buy the recommended 20 kilograms per person the vendors were getting 50 kilograms.

Our findings further indicate that the officials are getting as much as K2 000 per bag to engage in the shady deals.

While they get the maize at K2 200 from ADMARC, the vendors sell the same quantity at K3 700 on the black market making a whooping profit of K 4 000 per bag.

This is beating the purpose of selling the maize which is to reach out to vulnerable citizens in the wake of a food shortage expected to hit the country this year.

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Irrigation Allan Chiyembekeza, who visited Karonga ADMARC last Wednesday, admitted that there were “a lot of malpractices involved” in the sale of the maize.

He attributed the setback to “overstaying of officers at one station” and revealed there would be transfers soon.”

Chiyembekeza also said that arrangements were being made so that the number of bags being sold per day should be scaled to 300 from the present 100.—Additional reporting by Pius Nyondo, Nyasa Times

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Eddy Gomez
8 years ago

Chinyengo Sichizatha Pa Malawi Guyz.Vuto Lakula Ndi Ufiti.

David
David
8 years ago

You have discovered the problem. Lets see a change please. Too unpatriotic and oppressive to poor malawians

Chikandira
Chikandira
8 years ago

Selemani: Mtengo wa chimanga wa K2,200 ku ADMARC ndi per 20 kg. Mavenda akugulitsa
K3,700 per 16 kg. Thumba la 50 kg likukwana K5,500 ku ADMARC ndipo pa black market
ndi K9,250 per 40 kg. Kodi K4,000 profit siyinapangidwe apa?

seleman
seleman
8 years ago

masamu munaphuzira xool yakuti? kugula 2200 kugulisa 3700 profit nkukhala 4000? musachititse manyazi a malawi apa!

peter chimbwandira
peter chimbwandira
8 years ago

Karonga the northern region of malawi

Tengupenya
Tengupenya
8 years ago

signs of scarcity. the vendor are filling a gap in the market.

ADMARC should create two tracks for the sale of the maize: one for vendors and the other for vulnerable people. The social welfare track for vulnerable people should be completely distinct from the market track for vendors. You can even have them of separate days of the week. Or separate places.

In a free market, it is not possible to leave out the vendors completely. That will be tempting people to go into corruption.

kukhala
kukhala
8 years ago

MAIZE GATE NOW

Wankulu
Wankulu
8 years ago

IZI ZIKUCHITIKA IN MANY ADMARCS. MAKAMAKA PA FISP, MAVENDA NDIYE AKUTAKATA PAMODZI NDI ANTHU NGATI ELIZAYU KUSIYA ANTHU OVUTIKA MACOUPON AKUWAWOLERA M’MANJA.

Bwekabweka
Bwekabweka
8 years ago

It is all about the country getting sour and smelling from all angles. Malawi is heading to hell

Dodolido
Dodolido
8 years ago

This Dude Minister is a disgrace. Dr wongoloweza.

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