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FUM tips government on boosting agriculture sector

 

Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has expressed concern over a dwindling trend in the country’s exports to the international market for the past decade, tipping government to shift its current priority towards smallholder farmers.

FUM chief executive officer Prince Kapondamgaga, in his thought-provoking presentation made on Friday at Economics Association of Malawi (Ecama) Annual Lakeshore Conference at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi, said since time immemorial, government focus has been on smallholder farming, but renewed support for medium and large scale farmers would help in scaling up Malawi exports to the international market; hence, narrowing the current trade gap.

Magalasi: Propositions realistic, but debatable
Magalasi: Propositions
realistic, but debatable

Currently, Malawi’s trade gap is estimated at around $1.5 billion, one of the world’s largest, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) figures.

Kapondamgaga said transforming the agriculture sector will require a great deal of agricultural commercialisation.

He said: “There is need for the integration of smallholder, medium and large scale farmers, but if you say as government will only concentrate on smallholder farmers, then what are we saying? Is [the current ministry] the Ministry of Smallholder Farmers or Ministry of Agriculture; which is supposed to embrace both smallholder, medium and large scale.”

Kapondamgaga said Malawi has had recurring worsening trade gaps, because the country’s goods and servicesproduced have not been enough for exports.

Kapondamgaga: Smallholder farmers do not think of exports
Kapondamgaga: Smallholder farmers do not think of exports

Most of Malawi’s exports, he said, are agriculture exports and over the past 10 years, the exports have been dwindling because smallholder farmers, apart from tobacco growers, are not able to produce more for international markets.

“The people that [government] is focusing on are not able to produce enough for food, therefore, they cannot even think about exports. The medium and large scale farmers will give us the volumes that we need because they can produce for the exports market,” he said.

He explained that the country’s overall agricultural production and value addition campaign should also be “in sync” with what has been spelt out in the National Export Strategy (NES)—which aims at doubling exports by the year 2018.

Reacting to FUM propositions, chief economic adviser to the President, Collins Magalasi, described the suggestions as “realistic, but debatable.”

He said: “Right now, government interest is on the majority and when you look at the majority of the country, you are talking about the poor. [Kapondamgaga] is right that most of agriculture policies are favouring the small-scale, but this is because they are the majority poor.”

Magalasi said during the conference, there has also been recognition that most middle to large scale farmers have simply not taken advantage of the policies and support that government is providing adding that they too [middle and large scale farmers] have not fully-utilised the availability of numerous markets for their commodities both locally and internationally.

The conference was held on the theme Agricultural Transformation and Value Chain Development for Sustainable Economic Growth.

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