Farmers in Mchinji and Lilongwe districts have commended the Transforming Agriculture through Diversification Entrepreneurship (Trade) programme for introducing them to modern agriculturual practices.
They said this on Thursday during a media tour of the two districts to appreciate how the use of tractors has improved crop production.
In an interview, Nkhunguyembe Cooperative chairperson Janet Nkhoma said farmers are able to grow crops on a large scale using tractors.
She said some farmers in Mchinji have embraced mechanisation to reduce manual labour which limits crop production.
“The tractor is helping us to cut down labour hours and increase productivity as we grow crops on a large scale,” said Nkhoma.
On his part, Naphini Producers and Marketing Cooperative chairperson Grinward Chirwa said the cooperative hires out the tractor to both members and non-members to generate revenue.
“In Lilongwe, our members are able to produce more, courtesy of using the tractor,” he said.
Chirwa also said they are planning to lend their tractor to other farms or companies for other activities.
Trade programme knowledge management and communication specialist Oscar Ulili said through Agricultural Commercialisation and Innovation Fund (Acif), the programme is expected to increase agricultural mechanisation and productivity and promote value addition.
He said: “Malawian farm systems are the least mechanised across African countries as agricultural productivity, which is a major determinant of farmers’ incomes and subsequent food and nutrition security, has stagnated over the years.
“So, in complementing the government’s effort, Trade programme through Acif is supporting farmers with different equipment to commercialise and mechanise their agricultural activities.”
Trade programme is hosted under the Ministry of Local Government, Culture and Unity with support from International Fund for Agricultural Development and Opec Fund for International Development.
