By Kondwani Magombo, MANA
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, has announced that ADMARC will open its doors in the first week of April for farmers to start selling their produce.
The minister made the announcement at Namiyasi Residential Training Centre (RTC) in Mangochi on Thursday on the sidelines of Machinga Agricultural Development Division (ADD) Field Day in Mangochi.
He said government had realised that delays in procuring crops from farmers always gave vendors chance to deplete the produce from farmers at unreasonable prices.
“There were reforms that government made and we have put resources aside to start buying crop produce from farmers from the first week of April.
“We want to hit the market first, unlike in the past when we used to start buying in September when the vendors had depleted everything on the market,” said Nankhumwa.
The minister further said within this month (March), his ministry would announce farm gate prices for various crops to allow the farmers appreciate how much they would make out of their crops.
Earlier in the day during the field visit, Controller of Agriculture Extension Services, Margaret Roca Mauwa, urged farmers not sell their crops to vendors describing the latter’s prices as too low for farmers to make profits.
Mauwa said by selling their produce to ADMARC, the farmers would be assured of getting it back in times of hunger since ADMARC is like a storeroom while with vendors the produce is lost for good.
The Field Day was conducted in five sites in Nansenga and Mbwazulu Extension Planning Areas (EPAs). During the field day, the minister also appreciated Farmer Field School-supported activities at Namiyasi Rural Training Centre before addressing farmers.
