Irrigation farming improves food security
People in Traditional Authority Mwahenga in Rumphi District have commended Tiyese Irrigation Scheme for improving food security in the area.
They said this on Thursday when Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary responsible for irrigation farming Geoffrey Mamba visited Yaulungu Village to appreciate the scheme’s impact on people’s lives.
Speaking in an interview, the scheme’s board of trustees chairperson Lengs Msiska said he grows maize and beans for food and he sell the surplus.
“I am now able to support my two sons in university.”
Msiska said on average he makes K1 million after selling his produce.
“Besides paying school fees for my children, I own cattle and an oxcart,” he said.
Annie Msiska, another beneficiary from Jinu Village, said since she joined the scheme in 2012, her household is food-secure.
On his part, Mamba said he was satisfied with the impact of the scheme on the community.
“President Lazarus Chakwere has been emphasising the need for increasing crop production. This community has done so well in utilising this scheme,” he said.
Mamba said the focus now is on irrigation and asked the community to work hard to end poverty at household level.
Rumphi district commissioner Emmanuel Bulukutu advised the community on the importance of keeping livestock which they may sell in times of need to support their families.
The scheme opened in 2009 and has 130 registered members.
