‘Malawi Govt tractors unaffordable to most farmers’

The Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) has asked Malawi Government to ensure that rates for farm machinery it is hiring out to farmers are affordable so that many of them benefit from the programme.

Cisanet national coordinator Tamani Nkhono-Mvula was commenting on a statement government published last week, asking farmers to hire farm machinery from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to boost their production.

According to the statement, ploughing one hectare using tractors under the programme cost K25 000, harrowing K14 500, ridging K18 500 and planting K5 500.

Ploughing using oxen costs K7 500 per hectare, ridging K5 000 whereas transporting farm produce cost K500 per trip within a five-kilometre radius.

But Nkhono-Mvula described the hiring rate as out of reach for most small-scale farmers in the country.

“Although most of our farmers are smallholders, government is asking them to hire big tractors suitable for big estates; hence, high rates.

“This programme would be effective if government considered bringing in small machinery suitable for small farmers so that the hiring rates should go down,” he said.

Nkhono-Mvula said the idea is good, but high hiring rates, defeats the purpose of the programme.

But the ministry’s spokesperson Sarah Tione defended the scheme, saying it is working and there is a high demand for the machinery, especially tractors.

She said the demand forced government to seek a line of credit from the Indian government to procure more machinery for the programme.

The farm machinery on hire includes tractors with allied implements for ploughing, harrowing, ridging, planting and fertiliser application.