Posted on July, 12, 2019 at 10:26 am
Written by Rodney Majawa
Farmers who have access to irrigation in wetlands within Blantyre Agricultural Development Division (BLADD) are said to be yielding the best out of their winter cropping activities with support from Plan International amongst other partners.
BLADD Programme Manager, Erick Haraman said this on Wednesday in Blantyre in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana).
Haraman said leafy vegetables, maize, legumes and onions look so promising where winter cropping is taking place, adding that most farmers were expected to realise bumper yield.
However, the programme manager attributed the success to effective use of botanicals like neem and synthetic pesticides including chloropyrifos, deltamethrin and indoxacarb following infestation of fall armyworm in selected areas.
Haraman also said government, through the line ministry distributed legume and maize planting materials to all flood affected areas to ensure such households were food secure.
“In all flood-prone districts where camps were erected, farmers received the planting materials which do well in various climatic areas where the crops are now at vegetative and flowering stages,” Haraman said.
“In view of the promising crop outlook, all farmers within BLADD are being encouraged to go flat out and make full use of the wetlands for irrigation purposes,” he said.
Haraman, therefore, said this will also ease the preparatory agricultural activities for the forthcoming 2019/2020 rain-fed season, whilst processing composite and other organic manure.
He also said irrigation farming becomes a worthwhile venture and a food security measure once put to full use considering that rain-fed agriculture sometimes puts off growers due to erratic rainfall patterns or effects of climate change.
“A recent visit to Phalombe District has shown that farmers who are engaged in irrigation farming as a result of the disasters are now breathing a sigh of relief following the impressive crop outlook,” Haraman added.
Source: Malawi News Agency (MANA Online)