Ministry decries Admarc underutilisation

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Thoko Tembo has decried the underutilisation of Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc), saying the agency remains critical to economic growth. Speaking when he toured Admarc Limited warehouses in Limbe in Blantyre and the dhil (pigeon pea split) factory in Luchenza in Thyolo yesterday, he said Admarc has the infrastructure and capacity to be transformed into a competitive public export enterprise capable of generating much-needed foreign exchange for the country. Tembo expressed concern that for many years Malawi has failed to fully harness Admarc’s resources for national development.

He said: “So, government is very committed to helping Admarc achieve its goals because we know that Admarc is a missing link that government needs, to make Malawi an exporting country. “We have had problems of forex and some many things in the past and Admarc could be that secret weapon that we need.” During the visit, Tembo expressed concern that the dhil processing factory, whose installation was completed in 2016, is yet to become operational despite its potential to add value to pigeon peas and boost exports. Explaining the delay in a separate interview, Admarc Limited factories manager Bright Mwambinga said the problem stemmed from an incomplete handover process between the contractor and the company.

“We need to understand the flow process of the plant and also we need properly trained staff to operationalise the plant,” he said. Admarc Limited chief executive officer Ben Botolo last month unveiled a broad turnaround strategy aimed at restoring the corporation’s financial stability and repositioning it as a commercially viable enterprise by 2030. A key pillar of the strategy is diversification away from Admarc’s traditional near-exclusive focus on grain trading. Proposed new ventures include fish farming and the manufacturing of leather products such as bags, shoes and belts using locally sourced animal skins, including crocodile skins.