Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET), has expressed concern with the inefficiency and wastefulness that have characterised the country’s grain trader ADMARC.

Speaking to YFM, CISANET Chief Executive Officer, Pamera Kuwali, said ADMARC has proved to be inefficiency for the past years.

She cited a recent example of inability by ADMARC to manage maize that it purchased in 2020 to the extent that about 1.2 metric tonnes rot in its warehouses leaving the grain trader in worse position in view of the loan that was used to purchase the commodity.

Kuwali further said CISANET is against the decision by the parliamentary committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Climate Change to provide K95 billion to ADMARC for the purchase of maize and other commodities saying the amount is huge considering the corporation’s inefficiency.

Kuwali said: “Keeping in mind the inefficiency of ADMARC we suggest that the allocation of funds should be in line with the required quantity of commodities to be purchased because in its current state we believe that allocating such a huge amount of resources is risky.”

Kuwali has therefore asked government to act swiftly by addressing challenges including fraud and political issues that have choked ADMARC operations for the benefit of small holder farmers, vulnerable Malawian households and the country’s economy at large.

CISANET has emphasized that in an effort to promote agriculture development it will continue holding government into account on its commitment as outlined in the national agriculture policy to facilitate ADMARC reforms to improve market efficiency and profitability for the benefit of Malawian farmers.