Bvumbwe Research Station manager Margaret Chiipanthenga has cited lack of laboratory equipment and shortfall of research scientists as some of the major challenges the station faces.
She said this on Monday when Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale visited the research station at Bvumbwe in Thyolo District to appreciate the milestones it has registered and the challenges it is facing.
Chiipanthenga said there was need to install high-tech research equipment and deploy adequate personnel in research laboratories to come up with reliable agricultural solutions.
research equipment
“We are doing all we can to ensure that we continue with our research activities and develop new innovations,” she said.
On his part, Kawale emphasised the critical role agriculture research stations play in developing new agricultural technologies.
He said innovations should lead to improved crop and livestock varieties, contributing to the country’s long-term food and nutrition security.
Said Kawale: “Our famers should continue to have access to high-yielding food crops.
“We should be moving away from chemical fertilisers to organics and we want to teach farmers to make organic fertilisers.”
He said chemical fertilisers are expensive and eat into government’s resources.
“Our 10 research stations should fully invest in research that should benefit farmers,” said Kawale, who toured several sections at the research station that included soil fertility and chemistry, pesticides control, plant pathology laboratories and other test labs.
He also toured macadamia, orange-fleshed sweet potato and Irish potato early-generation seed multiplication projects.
