Japan impressed with Mangochi cooperative
The Japanese government has reaffirmed its commitment towards uplifting the lives of rural people through initiatives such as One Village One Product (Ovop).
The sentiments were made on Monday by a Japanese government official Masahisa Sato during his visit to Zokoma Cooperative in Traditional Authority Nankumba in Mangochi.
Speaking in an interview, Sato said the Japanese government started the Ovop initiative to eradicate poverty among rural Malawians.
“We pioneered this initiative some years back. The purpose was to cushion poverty that forced most of the rural Malawians into perennial beggars while turning others in a vicious circle of debt,” said Sato.
He expressed satisfaction that the initiative has borne fruits as most communities were happy.
Sato promised to find international markets for products of Zokoma Cooperative.
He said the honey they produced is good and has potential of hitting the international market.
Sato said through the cooperative, communities have benefited as people have built good houses and are rearing livestock, among other benefits. n
