LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Renowned agriculture economics expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula has commended President Lazarus Chakwera for directing the Ministry of Agriculture to expedite the establishment of mega farms in the country.
Mvula told The Maravi Post that mega farms are not only critical for the growth of the agriculture sector, but also create market opportunities for smallholder farming communities.
Speaking at the official opening of the 2022 Malawi Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization Conference in Lilongwe on Thursday, Chakwera lamented delays by the ministry to establish mega farms.
He observed that what Malawi lacks is not policy direction or investment opportunities or public pronouncements regarding agricultural productivity and commercialization through mega farms, but implementation of the policies and pronouncements by the Ministry of Agriculture.
“After two years of my administration, the ministry has yet to produce a single mega farm anywhere in the country, and this is a failure I no longer have the patience to abide. For this reason, I am giving the Ministry of Agriculture six months to produce results that the eyes of Malawians can see. We cannot go into 2023 with this business-as-usual approach. Not on my watch,” emphasized Chakwera.
“The time for action on mega farms is not next year. It is now. The time for ending our reliance on subsistence farming is not next year. It is now. The time for producing commercial crops on a massive scale and boosting our forex earnings is not next year. It is now.
“What I expect after this conference is not another conference for people to hear themselves talk, but action and results. What I expect after this conference is that the coming rainy season will be the start of a new era of farming in Malawi. What I expect is that my next crop inspection tour will include the inspection of one or more mega farms in the making,” he added.
Reacting to the development, Mvula applauded Chakwera for prodding officials at the ministry into action.
He said mega farms are not only critical for the growth of the agriculture sector, but also creation of market opportunities for smallholder farming communities.
“Mega farms are a good concept, especially where there is a good linkage between the mega farms and the community where these mega farms can act as anchor farms for the smallholder farmers.
“Mega farms can help to ensure that smallholder farmers have got access to markets because if they are anchor farms, then it means that the smallholder farmers can find a market to sell their produce at these farms,” he explained.
Mvula added that mega farms are key in technology transfer from the mega farms to the smallholder communities as well as increasing outputs for particular crops.
“It can be a precursor for the industry in Malawi. So generally, I may say this is a very important concept for Malawi,” he said.
