Ministry hails K124m investment in clean agriculture
Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change says good management of empty pesticides containers is key towards achieving green farms agenda in line with the Malawi 2063 and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The ministry’s Principal Secretary Yanira Mtupanyama said this on Wednesday in Lilongwe during the launch of the $150 000 (K124 million) Empty Pesticide Container Management Facility owned by Farmers Organisation Limited (FOL).
“This investment has demonstrated that we can responsibly use pesticides, but also be able to manage the containers by helping the agenda of government to provide clean and green farms and safe environment,” she said.
Mtupanyama said in the absence of the facilities, farmers have been using same empty pesticides containers for other uses such as drawing and keeping water.
FOL managing director Henry Burger said they invested $150 000 in the facility, which is aimed at filling up the existing gap for the disposal of the empty pesticides containers.
He said: “It has become a more important compliant conditionality for exports in tobacco and macadamia.
“When exporting, there is a question about what you are doing with empty pesticides containers, so we decided to come in to support them to be compliant businesses through responsible disposal of the containers.”
Registrar of Pesticides at the Pesticides Control Board Misheck Soko said the law stipulates that the importer of pesticides is responsible for disposal of the containers.
The facility cleans and crashes the containers into small particles, which are earmarked for recycling in the manufacturing of electrical pipes as a by-product from the containers.
