Malawi to roll out formal markets for root, tubers

Ministry of Trade and Industry says it is working on establishing formal markets for root and tuber crops as the country moves into the second phase of scaling up the crops’ output.

The ministry’s director of trade Charity Musonzo said this on Tuesday in Lilongwe on the sidelines of a project inception workshop of a market-led transformation of root and tuber crops subsector in the country.

She said government has been losing foreign exchange due to unstructured markets which smugglers are exploiting.

Said Musonzo: “It is a project which we started in May this year and it is expected to be fully functional by May next year.

“We have been losing a lot because traders go straight to production points and smuggle the commodities.”

The International Potato Centre, with funding from the Irish Embassy, has entered into the second phase of promoting root and tuber crops to increasing production and quality of  the root and tuber crops for domestic and export markets.

The centre’s country representative, Wellington Jogo, said the project will involve collaboration between the centre, government and the private sector.

He said: “There are many opportunities in root and tuber crops, so we want to scale up production for export markets and food and nutrition security.

“We also want to increase private sector investment and capacity in commercial processing and marketing of quality root and tuber crop value-added products.”

The project seeks to develop and promote improved root and tuber crops varieties, technologies and knowledge to support commercial production, value-addition and linkages to domestic and international markets.

Ministry of Agriculture director of agricultural research services Grace Kaudzu said the country has the capacity to produce root and tuber crops to supply both the local and international markets.

“We have the capacity, but what we need to do is provide farmers with the type of varieties which they need,” she said.

International Potato Centre conducts research and promotes root and tuber crops through the departments of Agricultural Research Services, Crops Development and Extension Services as well as development organisations, universities and the private sector.