Financial hiccups and effects of Cyclone Ana have been highlighted as reasons behind derailed progress of the Shire Valley Transformation Programme.
Coordinator of the Shire Valley Transformation Programme Stanley Khaila said this when he briefed Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale in Chikwawa on Tuesday.
“The project’s intake was damaged during Cyclone Ana. Therefore, we had to redesign and reconstruct the works,” Khaila said.
In his remarks Kawale described the project as a catalyst for achieving the Malawi 2063 aspiration of agriculture commercialisation.
Kawale said he was also impressed to see how communities have embraced the initiative, saying this is key to the success of the programme.
- Advertisement -
“Initially, the project was expected to cover 40,000 hectares but I have been told that the hectares have increased to over 50,000 because more farmers are expressing interest,” Kawale said.
And on Wednesday, Kawale visitited various irrigation schemes in Nsanje District where he assured farmers of the government’s support.
Member of Parliament for Nsanje Lalanje Gladys Ganda called on the government to work towards creating conducive markets for the farmers.
“We rely on irrigation-fed farming in the Shire Valley but it is disheartening to see farmers selling their produce at low prices because they lack access to good markets,” Ganda said.
