By Mercy Matonga:
Minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe has said it is high time Malawi fully commercialised its agriculture sector for food security and increased exports.
He said agriculture can be used as a key tool for meeting most needs of the country’s growing population.
Gwengwe was speaking in Lilongwe during the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (Nasfam) annual general meeting.
He added that there is a need for farmers to invest in irrigation.
“We [the government] have introduced initiatives such as loans through institutions like Agcom [Agricultural Commercialisation] project], Neef [National Economic Empowerment Fund] and other sources where smallholder farmers can easily access loans,” Gwengwe said.
He said the government is also making efforts through incentives such as tax reductions for agricultural inputs and subsidised electricity for smallholder farmers to help it produce more efficiently.
Nasfam Chief Executive Officer Betty Chinyamunyamu said value addition is creating more opportunities for smallholder farmers.
She said this enables farmers to produce large volumes, thereby earning more money.
“Value addition continues to create both informal and formal jobs at all levels within the Nasfam system, from production at the farm to transportation, processing, and marketing,” Chinyamunyamu said.
Nasfam Board Chairperson Brian Jere said despite the firm’s efforts to promote smallholder farmers, unfair competition in local markets remains a challenge.
“We therefore implore all our members to embrace collective marketing to leverage collective transportation to bargain for better prices,” Jere said.
The meeting was held under the theme ‘Improving Smallholder Farmers’ Market Access through Value Addition’.
Nasfam has over 130,000 members across 52 clubs in the country.
