Nasfam hails seed loan repayments
The National Association of Smallholder Farmers in Malawi (Nasfam) has said it is impressed with seed loan repayment among its members under its programme being implemented across the country.
The association’s farm services manager Wycliffe Kumwenda said this last week after visiting selected farmers who are benefiting from the programme in Mchinji and Kasungu districts.
The visits were aimed at appreciating the strategies that Nasfam has put in place under the seed programme in addressing climate change, nutrition among smallholder farmers and also scale-up crop rotation.
Irish Aid and Usaid are funding Nasfam’s seed programme under Promoting Selected Conservation Agriculture Techniques and Sustainable Crop Production Practices in Smallholder Farming Systems and Feed the Future, Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains, respectively.
Total seed beneficiaries for 2013/14 were 84,199 people who received ground nuts, soybeans, common beans and pigeon peas with total area covered by the seed being 17 475 hectors.
“On seed loans repayments, we are encouraged as an association that farmers are willingly paying back hundred percent which is a milestone and these loans are impacting greatly among beneficiary farmers who have seen their yields increasing per unit of land,” said Kumwenda.
Kumwenda said most beneficiaries have yielded bumper harvests of soya beans, groundnuts, among others crops which Nasfam is providing seed.
He cited one farmer from the area of Mlonyeni Association in Mchinji whom he said received 12 kilogrammes of Soya beans but harvested 600 kilogrammes in turn.
He told Business News that the specific objectives of the programme is to promote crop rotation which he said is one principle of conservation agriculture which the association is advocating.
According to Kumwenda, under the seed programme, most farmers have improved their yields per unit of land which he said has translated into increase production of various crops such as Soya beans.
He said since the programme was introduced, most farmers have had enough farm produce which has enabled them to resell some of the surplus production hence improving their income levels.
“Under the programme, we are giving out certified seed to farmers and they in turn pay back twice as much in kilograms but the greatest component is that we are building capacity so that farmers run the programme on their own and there has been good progress on this one in terms of repayment of loan as they are paying back hundred percent,” he said.
Oliver Tembo, one of the beneficiaries of the programme from Njovu Village in Kasungu said he has seen his welfare uplifted thanks to the Nasfam programme which he said has improved his income levels.
He said he was given 20 kilogrammes of soya bean seed last year but said has already harvested four 50 kilogramme bags and expects more than ten bags as his total harvest.
