Comsip boosts honey output in LL, Nkhata Bay

Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip) has given a boost to two cooperatives with honey production equipment valued at K13.5 million to enhance value addition.

The two cooperatives are Chikondi Comsip Cooperative from group village head Samale, Traditional Authority Masumbankhunda in Lilongwe and Chombe Comsip Cooperative from Nkhata Bay. They are both involved in honey production.

Comsip information, education and communications officer Emmanuel Muwamba said beneficiaries of the grants will improve quality and quantity of the honey to increase their income.

“The income will consequently improve the group members’ capacity to produce more honey and add value to their product. The improved income will transform livelihoods of the individual members,” he said.

Patricia Nkhoma, who heads the nutrition department of Chikondi Comsip Cooperative, said the grant will help them to maximise their gains.

“As a group, we have been seeking ways to grow our business and to find ways of increasing the quality of our products.

“This grant of working equipment will help us to add quality to our honey which in return will increase the value of our products on the market,” she said.

Chombe Comsip Cooperative chairperson Leftan Kamanga said they lacked protective gear when harvesting honey which put lives of its members at risk.

Some of the working tools that were part of the grant included beehives, plastic filling buckets, mouth masks, dust coats, gloves, and honey pressing machines.

Comsip is coordinating the Livelihood and Skills Development component of the Masaf 4 project. n