Government reaffirms commitment to transform lives through agriculture commercialisation

* We have about 15 cooperatives that are ready in various value chains, such as sorghum, soy beans, mangoes and groundnuts once the water starts flowing

* We want to register even more cooperatives to ensure widespread benefits, not just in cultivation but also in agribusiness processing

By Leah Malimbasa, MANA

Minister of Trade & Industry, Sosten Gwengwe has reaffirmed government’s commitment to transforming lives through agriculture commercialisation and flagship projects including the Shire Valley Transformation Project (SVTP).

Speaking at Kambadwe Cooperative after appreciating progress of the SVTP in Chikwawa — which is touted to be the largest irrigation project in Southern Africa, the Minister emphasised that government wants the project to assist many cooperatives and families.

“We have about 15 cooperatives that are ready in various value chains, such as sorghum, soy beans, mangoes and groundnuts once the water starts flowing,” he said. “We want to register even more cooperatives to ensure widespread benefits, not just in cultivation but also in agribusiness processing.

“Every economy needs a foundation. With SVTP and mega farms, we will witness increased production which will lay a solid foundation for high-value exports.”

He, however, said the major challenge affecting agribusiness is not necessarily markets but financing projects at a rate that makes commercial sense.

Gwengwe explained that his Ministry is working with the World Bank and local financiers to make the cost of doing agribusiness more affordable.

Before speaking to the Kambadwe Cooperative members, Board chairperson for Samson Beyard appraised the Minister that they were looking forward to starting irrigation farming on their 119 hectare of land belonging to over 463 members.

He said they had already been trained in various aspects of agribusiness that include farm management, protection of the environment (through PressCane) as well as TEVET Toolbox — a training on how to manage farm equipment.

“We want to transform the lives of cooperative members through commercial agriculture,” Beyard said in an interview after the Minister’s departure.

“In the second season, we will add value before selling our products, as advised by the Minister. We are happy to hear that there are ready markets for food.”

SVTP Project Coordinator, Stanley Khaila provided insights into the project’s multifaceted approach and the Ministry of Trade’s crucial role in the project’s success.

“This project has three main components — infrastructure development for water supply, land tenure security to protect farmers’ land and agricultural production and commercialisation.

“The Ministry of Agriculture plus Ministry of Trade must collaborate to ensure the entire value chain is organised to the end with a focus on creating markets for sustainable success,” Khaila said.

SVTP emerges as a pivotal initiative, poised to not only revolutionise agricultural practices in Chikwawa but also contribute significantly to national economic growth in line with MW2063 Pillar 1 — which aims at transforming the country through agriculture productivity and commercialisation.

The SVTP is a 14-year project (2018-2031) which will be implemented in three sequential but partially overlapping phases.

It is being implemented by Malawi Government with support from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the OPEC Fund for International Development and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).