‘Mutharika lied on Maize Procurement’

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Ibrahim Matola

Malawi’s ex ruling  Peoples Party (PP) has accused the Peter Mutharika led government of lying that it has imported maize from neighboring countries to help hunger victims in the country.

The remarks follow government’s claims during Public Affairs Committee (PAC) indaba in Blantyre on Thursday that some trucks have arrived in the country to offload maize.

Ibrahim Matola
Matola: The claimed Maize procurement is not true.

However, speaking to Malawi24, PP general secretary Ibrahim Matola disclosed that the country has not imported the staple grain from Zambia or any country sharing borders with Malawi.

“I have been saying this during the meeting that if we have professional liars they are people from Democratic Progress Party (DPP),they claimed that maize has just arrived but I called officials from Mchinji, Songwe, Mwanza border they have confirmed to me just some minutes ago that they have not seen any truck carrying maize,” said Matola.

Matola further argued that the contradictory statements from government officials show that the DPP led government lied to Malawians that there is maize in national food reserves.

He said: “An official said government is now buying maize, then Goodall Gondwe [minister of finance] came in saying the government has sent trucks to buy 30 metric tonnes from Zambia, and a few days ago minister of agriculture confirmed to the nation that they have 50 metric tonnes, to me am surprised that among them who is saying the truth.”

At the meeting, Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) national coordinator Tamani Nkhono-Mvula also revealed that government has 2000 metric tonnes, not 55,000 metric tonnes as the minister of agriculture Allan Chiyembekeza had earlier claimed.