K300 minimum price for pigeon peas in Mwanza-NGO
Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) has asked pigeon peas farmers in Mwanza to sell the crop at not less than K300 per kilogramme (kg) this year.
EAM’s Mwanza project coordinator Simon Chibwana said this on Tuesday during an awareness meeting at Mwanza District agriculture extension Area offices, to sensitise farmers on certified weighing scales and qualities of a recommended trader to buy the crop.
Chibwana said reports reveal that intermediate buyers sell the crop at K600 per kg to businesspersons of Asian origin in Blantyre despite buying the crop for as low as K160 per kg from farmers in the district.
Said Chibwana: “We should reap from our sweat. It is high time we earned more from our pigeon peas. You [Farmers] should form associations for bargaining power.”
Mwanza district trade officer Osbert Kapachika said legal vendors should have three certificates and weighing scale certified by Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS).
The meeting was held under Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy’s (Cepa) two-year Community Economic Improvement Project (
) in conjunction with Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) with funding from Christian Aid. n
