Sweet potato farmers urged to form groups

Nsanje district chief agriculture, environmental and natural resources officer James Lichapa has advised sweet potato farmers in the district to form groups to bargain for better prices.

His appeal follows complaints from sweet potato farmers in the district about low prices vendors from Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Chikwawa and Blantyre offer to them.

Speaking in an interview yesterday, Lichapa said as a council, they do not set minimum prices for the crop to protect farmers from unscrupulous traders.

He said: “The best thing is for the farmers to form groups or cooperatives to lobby for better prices and even take their produce to big markets that offer higher prices in Blantyre and Chikwawa.

“Currently, our officer responsible for agri-business Fainess Banda is working with the farmers on the same.”

One of the farmers, Mirriam Thole from Fulasiku Village in the area, said vendors annually buy their produce at a lower price.

She said they do not take their produce to big markets in Chikwawa and Blantyre due to mobility challenges.

“We wonder that every year government sets minimum prices for other crops such as maize, ground nuts, pigeon peas, but not sweet potato,” observed Thole.

One of the vendors, Cosmas Chulu from Blantyre, said he buys sweet potato from Nsanje District because of low prices.

“When I started buying sweet potato in Nsanje in 2015, farmers were selling a 50 kilogramme bag of sweet potato at K3 500, but I now buy at K8 000. I hire a lorry which transports 25 bags to Blantyre,” he said.

Another buyer Maness Somola from Mulanje District said potato business is lucrative.

Nsanje South legislator Ramzan Juma Mahomedi (Malawi Congress Party) also advised the farmers to form groups to negotiate for better prices.