Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has increased to at least 1 000 hectares (ha) the size of farms to qualify under the mega farms initiatives in a move that will effectively shut out smaller producers from the flagship initiative.
Line minister Rosa Mbilizi told Parliament on Tuesday that the revised model will focus on large-scale anchor farmers who can support smaller growers, dismissing calls to lower the entry point.
She was responding to Karonga Town legislator Daniel Mwanyongo Chitonya (Malawi Congress Party) who proposed a reduction of the mega farms threshold from 200ha to 20ha to increase participation and boost food security.
But in response, Mbilizi said firmly: “A mega farm is a mega farm. It cannot be reduced to ang’onoang’ono [small ones]. That we will not do.”
She said under the new approach, each qualifying farmer will control at least 1 000ha and act as an anchor for surrounding farmers, marking a shift from earlier perceptions that the programme was designed to broadly distribute farm inputs.
“I don’t know where this 200 hectares is coming from,” she said, blaming past “chaos” and malpractice on a failure to stick to strict standards.
The minister added that government will implement the programme this year through institutions such as Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Malawi Prison Service and the Malawi Defence Force while also courting foreign investors.
“They are very ready to come… Malawi will never be the same,” she said, expressing confidence the model will transform agriculture.
However, Mwanyongo Chitonya warned that raising the bar could exclude many farmers, especially in land-constrained regions.
The mega farms initiative, introduced by the Tonse Alliance, initially targeted farmers with at least 200ha while smaller producers were supported through programmes such as the Agriculture Commercialisation Programme and the National Economic Empowerment Fund.
