A large scale tree nursery in Dzalanyama Forest Reserve in Lilongwe District is targeting to produce 11 million seedlings for the next National Forestry Season to start in December as part of efforts to restore depleted forests in the country.
The nursery, which covers about 34 hectares, currently has capacity for about 2.7 million seedlings at one cycle and is expected to strengthen the country’s ability to produce tree seedlings locally.
Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Climate Change chairperson Tiaone Hendry said the initiative will help to replenish bare hills and mountains in the country.
“Our forests are bare. The degradation has gone up, so we are looking at a capacity that is manageable to cover the degraded areas,” she said.
Hendry challenged the Ministry of Natural Resources to demonstrate its preparedness for the coming National Forestry Season.
She said the committee was interested not only in the size of the nursery but also in how the seedlings will be distributed and planted across the country.
In his remarks, Ministry of Natural Resources Principal Secretary Henry Njoloma said the nursery was intended to produce enough seedlings to support forest restoration efforts in Malawi and potentially supply other parts of the region.
“This nursery alone should be able to supply seedlings to all forests in Malawi, but also the southern African region,” he said.
Njoloma said government was also considering increasing the range of tree species produced at the nursery, including indigenous varieties, to ensure different areas receive appropriate species.
The nursery is currently producing varieties such as Acacia polyacantha, locally known as thethe and Faidherbia albida, known as nsangu.
Njoloma said seedlings take about one month before being moved to the shade house while plans are underway to introduce agroforestry and fruit tree species in another section under construction at the forest reserve.
