Agriculture still reeling from structural adjustment effects

The Structural Adjustment Programme which Malawi implemented in the early 1980s affected the agricultural sector negatively, a thing that has contributed to the slow development of agriculture in the country in the last 50 years.

This was disclosed during the recent Malawi Agriculture at 50 conference in Lilongwe, which  Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) organised.

The conference was aimed at taking stock of  the strides the country has made in agriculture sector in the last 50 years of self-rule.

According to Cisanet board chairperson Willie Kalumula, some of the changes that have taken place in the agriculture sector in the last 50 years have had a negative impact in the industry although they were done with good intentions.

“The period starting from 1980 was a period of extreme changes that took place under the Structural Adjustment Programme. Though as civil society we very much appreciate the good intentions of these structural changes, we feel the manner and the pace in which they were done caused more structural damage than expected,” he said.

Kalamula said though some changes are being reversed like the setting of minimum prices on crops and input subsidies, the subsectors of research, extension and marketing have not fully recovered from the shock they suffered.

“We feel much more needs to be done to fully protect our farmers from the harsh realities of the agriculture sector value chains. We have an opportunity today to look back at how we have fared in the past 50 years and also as we look forward to the next 50 years,” he said.

Kalumula also said there is a need for the country’s agriculture sector to have a clear vision for the next 50 years upon which all the policies and programmes of government and other sector players will be based.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, AllanChiyembekeza, who officially opened the conference, said government appreciate the support it receives from non state actors.

“We acknowledge the massive investment from non-governmental organisations in the different subsectors of agriculture that has greatly contributed to the realisation of the Agriculture Sector Wide Approach. I believe that if we continue working together, we can achieve more during a short period.

“Despite the heavy investments that have been done in agriculture development over the last 50 years, Malawi still remains a country with a good part of its population with missing food entitlements. This is unacceptable,” he said.