Admarc to re-open as the mandatory leaves comes to an end after five months

The Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) has announced that the mandatory paid leaves for its employees ends tomorrow on January 31, 2023.

On September 1 2022, Agriculture former minister Lobin Lowe shut down Admarc, citing high levels of corruption, theft and professional negligence at the State-owned grain trader.

Lowe sent all members of staff for the corporation on paid leave and suspended all its activities except social services and the government instead deployed police to all Admarc offices to ensure that no employee goes near the corporation’s premises, saying doing that will be considered trespassing.

“Prolonged conflicts between Admarc board of directors and management leading to poor governance, suspected corrupt practices perpetrated by some employees of the company and unprocedural recruitment of some employees have been detrimental to Admarc,” said Lowe during the press briefing

During the briefing, Lowe, who was in the company of his deputy Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, principal secretaries (PSs) and other officials, disclosed that Admarc has failed to account for about K1.5 billion of money realised from the sale of fertiliser under the Affordable Inputs Programme.

Five months down the line, the much-anticipated opening of the Admarc which has been extended twice is expected to be re-opened on 2nd February, 2023.

“The company is implementing 100% retrenchment effective 1st February 2023. Therefore, this means that last working day for all employees is 31st January, 2023. All employees will receive their letters retrenchment at least within seven days from the date of this circular,” reads the announcement by the parastatal’s management in part.

The announcement added that the company will give three-month contract to sole Employees especially those that worked as skeleton staff from 1st February, 2023 to help with the transition while the company will be completing its processes.

“The Employees to be on contract employment for three months will receive their letters of contract employment within seven days of this later,” adds the letter.

Meanwhile, the government is committed to pay January 2023 Salaries, pension arrears and Retrenchment package within the required period.

During the period when the Admarc was shut down, government is reportedly to have spent over K3.5 Billion as the Admarc’s wage bill stands at K750 million per month, according to figures presented recently by Admarc Board former chairperson Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi to the Agriculture Committee of Parliament.