President Chakwera launches 1,069-hectare cooperative mega farm in Chikwawa

* 193 members in T/A Katunga and Maseya expected to benefit from mechanised commercial farming

* We are called an agro-based economy yet we produce so little. We need to produce more and export more

By Leah Malimbasa, MANA

President Lazarus Chakwera officially launched the 1,069-hectare Katunga-Maseya (KAMA) Cane-growers Cooperative Mega Farm in Chikwawa District, a mechanised commercial farming which is expected to benefit 193 members from the areas of Traditional Authorities Katunga and Maseya.

The government injected K5.3 billion into KAMA Cooperative as a grant through Agricultural Commercialisation (AGCOM) project following an announcement from funders World Bank approving the roll out of AGCOM 2.

It will be managed in partnership with established commercial farming company, Presscane Limited with the cooperative supplying sugarcane which Presscane will be producing ethanol and other products.

KAMA Cooperative will be using 10% of the land for food farming with the remaining 90% for sugarcane farming which Presscane Limited agreed to as an off-taker.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, President Chakwera said the project will play a big role in ending poverty as well as achieving food security, adding there is need for small countries like Malawi to defend their ideas and vision whenever they face opposition.

“As we are launching initiatives such as mega farms, agriculture commercialisation and mechanisation, other bigger nations do not understand or agree with our vision,” he said. “So, we should choose to be brave and show what we are capable of doing.”

He further called for people to celebrate their success and start producing more, saying: “We are called an agro-based economy, yet we produce so little — we need to produce more and export more.

“Today, we are launching a cooperative that is creating hundreds of jobs, this shows we are serious about agricultural commercialisation and that is why we are putting in K5.3 billion into KAMA Cooperative as a grant,” he said.

The president then commended World Bank for their support through the AGCOM project and in approving the AGCOM 2, while urging KAMA Cooperative to utilise the grant well in order to achieve the desired results.

KAMA Cooperative chairperson Collins Ntalika commended the President for his dedication towards transforming the country through mega farms, citing Chisanja Scheme through which 194 farmers are already benefiting after it started operating following a loan granted to them of K281 million that was utilised to develop 103 hectares and started getting dividends in 2019.

Ntalika added that the Cooperative finished servicing the loan in 2022, saying: “The profits we were getting from this scheme motivated us to start up two more schemes — M’bwana Scheme which has 692 hectares and Dambo scheme which sits on 377 hectares.

Presscane Limited’s Board chairperson, Dr.Paul Guta described the partnership between the cooperative and Presscane Limited as beneficial, saying: “The raw materials we get are not enough, so we resort to import additional raw materials from neighbouring countries.

“The sugarcane we will be getting from the KAMA Cooperative will help us to produce more ethanol and other by-products like biogas which will be used to produce electricity and organic fertilizer,” Gita said.

He further called for support through access to more land which will be used for growing more sugarcane and in turn create more jobs as Presscane factory will be producing more products.

To enhance the mega farm, the President — who toured KAMA Cooperative’s new offices, Chisanja Farm (also under KAMA) and Presscane factory — handed over two tractors and a pick up vehicle to KAMA Cooperative farmers.