Go commercial, farmers told
Kasungu District Council chairperson Mwambilaso Mbedza has urged farmers in the district to embrace commercial farming.
She said this on Wednesday during an agricultural fair held in Traditional Authority Santhe in the district where farmers showcased their products and interacted with various stakeholders.
Said Mbedza: “Farmers should embrace modern farming technologies and take farming as a business because this is the direction the country is taking.
“We must also remember that climate change is here and is affecting crop production, as such, farmers should adopt approaches that will make them resilient.”
She appealed to agro-dealers and other off-takers to buy their produce at good prices.
Kasungu District Agriculture Extension Coordinating Committee chairperson Peter Minjale said they organised the fair to give farmers a platform to sell their products and gain knowledge on how they can improve their farming.
He said they wanted to complement government’s efforts to promote agriculture commercialisation.
“We join government in advocating for agriculture commercialisation and we believe it is the sure way for transforming smallholder farmers to become commercial farmers,” said Minjale.
He urged agro-traders to develop a good relationship with farmers and share knowledge on how they can best improve their enterprises.
Senior Chief Santhe said agriculture commercialisation is one of the pillars that can enable the country to achieve Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development strategy.
She also urged farmers to consult financial institutions that provide agricultural loans for funding opportunities to boost the businesses.
The fair was held under the theme ‘Driving towards export of agriculture through commercialisation and innovation’.
Kasungu is one of the districts in the country where farmers grow maize, groundnuts and soya beans. It is also one of the major tobacco producing districts in the country
