The Parliamentary Cluster on Agricultural and Natural Resources has proposed for a K10 billion increment into the allocation of the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc).

The Cluster`s Co-Chairperson Werani Chilenga made the proposal in parliament when presenting his Cluster`s report.

According to Chilenga, there are prospects that farm yields will increase in the coming farming season and that there is need to adequately fund the state grain trader for it to purchase more maize from farmers.

“We expect that farmers will harvest a lot of maize in the coming farming season because of the increase in the farm inputs, therefore we have recommended that ADMARC through Ministry of Agriculture should be funded K10 billion and maize should only be bought by Admarc as opposed to previous situation where NFRA was also involved,” he said.

Chilenga also said that their Cluster has also recommended the review of Carbon Tax proceeds.

“We have also recommended serious reinforcing of carbon tax funds which are supposed to mitigate infects of climate change through the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources,” said Chilenga.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Cluster on Transport and Public Infrastructure has also decried inadequate funding to the infrastructure sector in Budget estimates.

“Underfunding in the Roads Fund Administration has affected the implementation of the construction of the roads in the country and it has resulted to a number of uncompleted roads,” said Robert Mwina who is the Cluster`s Co-chairperson.

Recently, ADMARC acting Chief Executive Officer Felix Jumbe told YONECO that the state grain trader has 44, 000 metric tons of maize in stock ever since it started purchasing maize in April this year.