Ambassador Ingrid Marie Mikelsen appreciates Kilombero rice and inspects KASFA rice milling plant
* Smallholder farmers promote the country’s efforts in ensuring food security
* The partnership between Norwegian government and NASFAM started in 2000
By George Mponda, MANA
The Royal Norwegian Embassy Ambassador to Malawi, Ingrid Marie Mikelsen has urged smallholder farmers that they should add value to their farm produce to attract more revenue on the market.
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She said this on Tuesday when she inspected a rice milling plant for Kaporo Smallholder Farmers’ Association (KASFA), which is under National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM).
Mikelsen also inspected paddy fields belonging to some rice seed multipliers in Karonga District and she inspired the smallholder farmers that they promote the country’s efforts in ensuring food security.
Norway is in partnership with NASFAM that started in 2000 and Mikelsen pledged her government’s commitment to continue supporting smallholder farmers in Malawi amidst adverse effects of climate change.
The Ambassador said Norway understands the effects of climate change on agriculture in Malawi, hence it’ll keep supporting smallholder farmers to enable them be resilient to impacts of climate change through the practise of climate smart agriculture.
On her part, NASFAM chief executive officer, Betty Chinyamunyamu hailed the Norwegian government for its support to smallholder farmers in Karonga who grow Kilombero rice under NASFAM.
She highlighted the crucial role played by the Norwegian Embassy in supporting NASFAM’s strategic plan, focusing on enhancing sustainability across the entire value chain, from seed multiplication and distribution to rice processing and market access.
“We depend on smallholder farmers in terms of food security and forex through their agricultural exports,” she said. “We encourage them to sell their farm produce and sell in bulk to attract good prices — as such, NASFAM Commercial buys from them, hence realizing reasonable profits.”
She then advised smallholder farmers in Malawi to form cooperatives for them to access better markets and farm mechanisation equipment at cheaper prices.
One of the seed multipliers under KASFA, Kings Mwambene from Fundi Village in the area of Senior Chief Kilipura, said collective selling of farm produce has proved to be a very productive and efficient initiative in agribusiness.
A certified Kilombero seed producer, Mwambene expressed his profound satisfaction as a producer benefiting substantially from seed multiplication farming.
Similarly, Dunia Mkonongo, a widowed farmer, shared her inspiring journey — as she expects a remarkable harvest of 3,000kgs this year from the initial 10kg seed she received from NASFAM.
The Royal Norwegian Embassy has been a steadfast supporter of NASFAM for 24 years, currently backing the organization’s 4th strategic development plan.
Ambassador Mikelsen took office of the Embassy in September 2022 — cementing the strong bilateral relations between Norway and Malawi enjoy excellent bilateral relations, whose diplomatic relations were established in 1964.
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Lilongwe was opened in 1999 with a resident Ambassador and when she presented her letters of credence to President Lazarus Chakwera, Ambassador Mikelsen emphasized that Norway is in Malawi as a long-term partner in attaining the sustainable development goals, aligning its priorities as set out in the MW2063 national vision.
The main sectors cooperation include agriculture, education, health as well as good governance initiatives and the Ambassador ensured Chakwera that Norway will continue to promote equal rights of all, including the protection of women and children against violence and discrimination.
The Norwegian government is also interested in the investment of Mpatamanga hydro power project, where the Norwegian development finance institution (Norfund) is one of the financiers.
Last month, Mikelsen met with deputy Minister of Education, Nancy Chaola Mdooko where assured of her government’s commitment to continue supporting.—Additional info from Malawi Government official Facebook page
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