Posted on July, 23, 2019 at 11:21 am
Written by Brian Wasili
Agricultural stakeholders in Mwanza have been asked to assist farmers to find markets for their crops so that benefits of their toil in farming are realized.
The call was made by District Council Chairperson for Mwanza, Councillor Bellon Kasambwe during the Manure, Irrigation and Feed Preservation launch at Dickson Village in Senior Chief Inkosi Kanduku in the district on Friday.
“Stakeholders should help farmers to secure markets for their crops after harvesting,” said Kasambwe.
He said farmers in the district felt robed by middlemen who buy their produce at cheap prices and sell them at higher prices in cities such as Blantyre and Lilongwe.
District Agricultural Development Officer for Mwanza, Salifya Kamwagha expressed gratitude to farmers in the district who have adopted new farming methods, including the use of manure in their gardens.
“Farmers have now realized that if they are to harvest enough, they have to follow modern farming practices,” said Kamwagha in an interview with Malawi News Agency.
Mwanza has 13,000 farming households that practice modern crop and animal farming.
In an interview, one local farmer, Tchafinala Kaferapanjira from Dickson Village said his life had improved since he started practicing modern farming in 2004.
“This year, I have harvested about 70 bags of 50 kgs of maize as compared to the past years before embracing modern farming when I would harvest not enough to feed my household in a year,” said Kaferapanjira.
The Manure, Irrigation and Feed Preservation event was organized by Mwanza Agriculture Office and was held under the theme ‘Nutrient Restoration for Climate Change.’
Source: Malawi News Agency (MANA Online)