Agriculture Minister, Sam Kawale, has addressed concerns over the 12,000 metric tonnes of maize being held by Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) which has been deemed “unfit” for human consumption.

The Minister made it clear that his ministry has no jurisdiction over the said maize, which is being held up by NBS bank as collateral against an outstanding ADMARC loan.

Speaking on the matter, Minister Kawale stated that while the government is concerned about the safety of the maize, it is not within his ministry’s purview to deal with the issue.

He went on to explain that Admarc is a separate entity from the Ministry of Agriculture and that any concerns regarding the maize should be addressed to Admarc and NBS bank.

Despite the issues with the 12,000 metric tonnes of maize, Kawale highlighted that 50,000 metric tonnes of maize were successfully redeemed and transferred to strategic grain reserves with support from the World Bank.

This move was aimed at boosting the country’s food security and ensuring that Malawians have access to affordable and safe food.