Experts want farmers linked to industry
Experts have described Malawi’s agricultural market as narrow-based and vulnerable to market forces because smallholder farmers are disconnected to the manufacturing sector.
This was said yesterday at a Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) 13th Annual Congress and Policy Conference held under the theme Agricultural Structural Transformation for Sustainable Economic Growth at the Bingu International Convention Centre (Bicc) in Lilongwe.
Delivering the keynote address, Mandivamba Rukuni, a development analyst and strategist in agriculture, said a well-functioning and diversified domestic market is the only solution to turning the country into an industrialised society.
“Smallholder farmers are quick to respond to market signals and they have diversified in what they produce. However, government policies have not jumped on it significantly because focus has been on maize subsidies.
“The most important thing is to look at what your local people desire to consume and look at what you are importing. This will tell you the top end of the market,” he said.
In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Joseph Mwanamvekha said there is need to modernise agriculture and continue providing structural markets for agricultural products which remains a priority in the country.
“We should make sure that the farmer gets a good price for their commodities. Currently, farmers are getting much lower prices. We also need to find markets for our smallholder farmers to sell their commodities which can be achieved through contract farming,” he said.
Mwanamvekha, however, dispelled fears that commodity prices, especially for maize, have gone down because of the export restriction that government placed on maize.
He said commercial farmers who have obtained licences from the relevant ministries can still export their commodities at a better price.
Agriculture contributes about 30 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs over 85 percent of the labour force in Malawi.
