Multimillion kwacha rice milling factory excites government

Secretary for Agriculture Jeff Luhanga says the multimillion Mpamantha Rice Milling Factory in Nkhotakota to be commissioned mid-next year has come at the right time because it will help the country generate foreign exchange and also create jobs.

Malawi is set to become one of the first countries in southern Africa to commission the biggest state-of-the-art rice milling factory courtesy of Mtalimanja Holdings Limited.

The company has bought rice milling machines assembled in China and expected to be on site in the next two months, according to officials from MHL.

Said Luhanga: “This Mpamantha project addresses the issue of value addition which is very crucial in safeguarding our jobs. If as a country we continue to export our crops without adding value then we will perpetually be sending jobs outside the country.

“This project also gives farmers a chance to get a ready market for their rice and they are assured of getting better prices.”

He said apart from safeguarding jobs, the factory addresses the aspect of value addition and government will offer its support to management of MHL to ensure that it is a success.

“We are already giving them support by sending extension workers to the site and the feedback we are getting is that they are doing a very commendable job,” said Luhanga.

His sentiments come at a time Japanese Ambassador Shuichiro Nishioka hinted that Malawi has one of the best quality rice in the world and there is need to produce it in huge quantities because it can easily be exported.

“If I was asked to offer advice on what crop that can do well apart from tobacco, I would say that Malawi rice has very good. What is needed is just to increase production and then markets can be found outside,” he said recently in Lilongwe.

Mtalimanja Holdings managing director David Kamchacha recently said they have already secured markets for Malawi rice in Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and other European countries.

He said about 7 000 farmers are already on site and the company started buying irrigated rice some months ago.