Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has moved to boost the country’s exports, ensuring that legumes meet global market standards and paving the way for smoother trade.
MBS will now be testing pesticides residues and others in legumes and oilseeds through a $1 million (about K1.7 billion) chemical testing machine called Liquidity Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer courtesy of United Nation World Food Programme (WFP).
The equipment was procured under the Sesame Export Promotion Through Capacity Development of MBS funded by the Government of Japan.
In an interview on Wednesday, MBS deputy director general Thomas Senganimalunje said the equipment not only protects consumers and empowering farmers, but it also builds confidence in the agricultural value chains and the country’s legume exports.
He said, for instance, Malawi’s sesame exports have faced rejection of up to 70 percent due to non-compliance with pesticides residue and quality requirements, particularly in high-value markets such as Japan.
Said Senganimalunje: “This equipment is of great significance in our efforts to achieve quality in the agricultural products for trade.
potential on the global market. | WFP
“It will greatly enhance our national capacity to test and monitor pesticide residues in agricultural produce, ensuring that the food consumed locally and exported abroad is safe, of high quality and compliant with international standards.”
He said by equipping the country’s laboratories with advanced testing technology, MBS is not only promoting public health, but also contributing to industrialisation, export growth and sustainable economic transformation.
Senganimalunje said equipment will not require exporters to send samples abroad for testing, saving both time and foreign exchange.
Ministry of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism director of industry Clement Phangaphanga observed that with this equipment, MBS will be better positioned to conduct timely, accurate and reliable testing for pesticide residues.
“This will help our local producers, farmers and exporters to meet both national and international food safety standards, thereby expanding access to regional and global markets,” he said.
WFP country director Hyoung-Joon Lim observed that use of the equipment will help Malawi unlock structured markets and elevate the country’s position in regional and global trade, especially for high-value crops such as sesame, cowpeas and sorghum.
He observed that despite having potential, Malawi is failing to meet the sesame export market in Japan, exporting about 3 000 metric tonnes (MT).
Japanese ambassador Youchi Oya said sesame is an indispensable food in Japanese cuisine, yet the self-sufficiency rate is low and relies on imports.
Sesame is guaranteed 200 000 metric tonnes (MT) of the export market in Japan, according to WFP.
In 2023, Malawi produced 6 000MT of the crop before rising to 11 000MT last year.
In the 2023/24 agriculture season, sesame price averaged K2 100 per kilogramme (kg), but other buyers offered as high as K3 000 per kg, which was above the farm-gate prices of almost all crops set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development.
Sesame Development Trust chairperson and African Institute for Corporate Citizenship chief executive officer Driana Lwanda is quoted as having said that there are efforts by various players to develop the sesame value chain after observing the vast potential of the crop, which is used for oil production and in confectionery.
MBS data show that sending samples abroad for certification costs an average of $300 (about K525 000) and at least 17 days while MBS has a downtime of 10 days and costs between K10 000 and K250 000 per sample.
Government statistics show that despite the general decline in legumes and oilseeds production, sesam output jumped 13.9 percent, rising from 9 686 MT to 11 031MT.
