* Set to do more than dairy cattle farming on their farm at Chigumula where they started after a K111 million grant from AGCOM project in 2023
* Operating under the motto; ‘Cultivating Dreams, Nourishing Hope’, it comprises 54 women including pensioners, bankers, lawyers, accountants, university students and other young women
By Evance Chisiano, MANA
A group of women with various professional backgrounds, trading as Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society Limited, say they have been inspired by Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale visit to their dairy farm, saying it is enough motivation to keep them going with a vision of becoming one of the successful cooperatives in Malawi.
They told the Minister that they are well set to do more than dairy cattle farming on their farm at Chigumula where they started after a K111 million grant from Agricultural Commercialisation (AGCOM) project in 2023.
Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society is rearing cattle with support from the AGCOM project which seeks to transform smallholder agriculture from subsistence to commercial.
Operating under the motto; ‘Cultivating Dreams, Nourishing Hope’, it comprises 54 women including pensioners, bankers, lawyers, accountants, university students and other young women.
In mid-2021, four women came together to start a group and decided to mobilise fellow women into what is called Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society, and to date, it is a legally registered entity.
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The cooperative’s chairperson, Sylvia Mataka thus hailed Kawale for his visit and pledged their vision of becoming one of the successful cooperatives in Malawi.
The cooperative received a grant of K111 million in 2023 from the AGCOM project after meeting many requirements that included submission of a concept note, business plan and registration with the authorities.
Mataka thus commended AGCOM project management for being accommodative and supportive, saying the cooperative has a mission to become a force to reckon with in dairy cattle farming with intentions to make dairy products such as cheese and butter.
On his part, Minister Kawale said he was impressed with the women’s determination and unity in the dairy enterprises, adding that this was in line with Malawi’s agricultural commercialisation drive and women’s participation in agricultural development.
“Just know that the Ministry is impressed with what you are doing,” he inspired the Society. “Be in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture and are ready to guide you.
“Always ask us whenever you are stuck somewhere. Dont limit yourself — opportunities are there,” Kawale said and encouraged them to get themselves familiar with various technologies of making animal feed other than depending on maize stalks only.
“Keep learning, keep asking questions and keep engaging,” he emphasised after appreciating the farm’s progress, which the group said is set to develop the place by growing other crops to complement the dairy cattle farming.
Minister Kawale
The Minister said it was pleasing that the women who are from different professional backgrounds, grouped themselves into a society with one purpose of moving forward to become a cooperative which looks forward to embarking on various value-adding agricultural activities.
He added that the Ministry of Agriculture was looking forward to supporting such cooperatives and encouraged Umodzi Wathu to routinely seek technical expertise from livestock veterinarians for successful daily farming.
“Let us shift from subsistence farming to commercialisation. This is where Malawi is driving to,” he said while expressing optimism that Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society will rise to become a successful agricultural commercial entity.
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Blantyre District Commissioner, Alex Mdooko also applauded the women for teaming up to become a cooperative, which is geared to provide jobs for people at Chigumula and surrounding areas in the course of dairy cattle farming.
He disclosed that Blantyre District has 17 cooperatives with some of them in dairy, poultry, piggery, soya beans and ordinary beans farming.
“Most of these groups are supported by the AGCOM project,” Mdooko said. “Agricultural commercialisation is the way to go and we should think of the value chain and value addition.”
With the K111 million AGCOM grant, Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society procured dairy cattle, water storage tanks, constructed feeding sheds, manure sheds, ponds and an office among others.
The group said, if funds permit, it will buy additional cattle, lorry for feed transportation, tractor and cooling to effectively manage the farm for better results.
AGCOM is a Malawi Government project funded by the World Bank to transform the country’s agriculture sector.—Edited by Maravi Express
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