MALAWI’S ECONOMY GRINS TO THE IMPACT OF MEGA FARMS

Mega farms concepts premised by the state president of Malawi Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera over the long-dreamt ambitious initiative of the nation to harness poverty and rein country’s recurring food shortage yields a positive grin on Malawi’s economy and people’s needs.

Mega farm program was officially launched in August 2023 from its predeveloped vision, Malawi 2023, in January 2021 by his excellency Dr. Chakwera with the main objectives of combatting the nation’s persistent to food shortage and regenerating agricultural sector through the delegate action of the Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, via the establishment of mega farm program. This is in support of its 3 anchored predefined pillars: Agriculture Productivity and Commercialization, Industrialization and Urbanization. Positive upshot has been obtained and experienced in the country as the initiative has spread across the country leading to development insights of accelerated promotion of economic transformation process of the nation. The issues and concerns about food shortage and availability of agricultural raw materials begin to decelerate in many regions of Malawi. As many districts now have mega farms established in their Agricultural Development District (ADDs), currently Ministry of Agriculture has acquainted the total existence of 99 mega farms in only 8 ADDs across the country.

“Among others, the initiative, seeks to facilitate the striking of deals and contracts in areas of financing, irrigation facilities provision, off-taking, fertilizer, tractor and inoculant suppliers hiring certified seed suppliers and farm business plan development consultants,” said Chakwera, when launching Mega farms aimed at sinking 63, 000 hectares (ha) under irrigation and unveiled plans to mechanize farming through One-Stop Private Sector Mega Farms initiative in January 2024. Also, during the launch of mega farm program in the northern region of Malawi, meanwhile Chakwera mentioned the two main goals that the mega farm program tends to achieve, and these are strengthening and supporting nation’s foreign exchange reserves and devising Malawi to become self-sufficient in food production. With the inclusion of private sectors in operating large scale farming under the consideration of private sector’s policy in engagement in agriculture particularly in mega farms. For example, removing other barriers that hindered them in owning and running large farms. Small-scale farmers have not been left out though many of the large farms existing across borders are owned and being operated by medium and large-scale farmers, small-scales farmers are also benefiting from the initiative as they have now improved access to advisory services, credits and most importantly markets.

This previous growing season that has just elapsed 844 medium and large-scale farmers registered to cultivate various crops across more than 63,000 hectares of land under irrigation and unveiled plans of mechanizing farming, this is according to the Nations Newspaper. Through this there have been creation of employment opportunities, generation of forex and improved food security despite the challenges faced during the previous growing seasons in other area within Malawi and even beyond Malawi’ jurisdiction, such intensive experience of dry spells some parts of Malawi.

Ministry of Agriculture has also incorporated other governmental and non-governmental firms in upbringing large-scale farming- mega farms initiatives to the face of the country, serving not only Malawi with food and raw materials for factory production but also other neighboring jurisdictions and even far above nations, and also these institutions are helping in combating challenges faced by Malawians like food insecurity, poverty and providing strategies to smallholder farmers in access markets to sale their produce. Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Resources (LUANAR) is one of the stakeholders in liaise with Malawi Ministry of Agriculture in implementing the mega farm projects across the nation and leading as the Farm Management Support Unit in fostering agricultural innovation and sustainable development in Malawi.

The state president of acknowledged the relevance of supporting subsistence farmers in transitioning to agricultural mechanization to enhance crop production, both food and cash crops which are commonly grown in Malawi such as cassava, maize, banana, sorghum, millet, sorghum, sweet and Irish potato, various variety of vegetable, rice and so on, and soybeans, tea, cotton, coffee and tobacco respectively. So among the total of 99 mega farms which have been implemented in Malawi in different  ADDs in Lilongwe ADD comprises 16 mega farm on which 8 are in Lilongwe West, 3 in Lilongwe East, 4 in Ntcheu and 1 is located in Dedza; Kasungu ADD has a total of 13 mega farms in which 5 are in Kasungu, 3 in Dowa, 3 in Mchinji and 2 in Ntchisi; Blantyre ADD has a total of 23 mega farms in which 8 are located in Blantyre, 6 in Mulanje, 6 in Thyolo and 3 in Mwanza; Mzuzu ADD has a total 16 whereby 8 are in Rumphi, 4 in Mzimba, 3 in Likoma and 1 in Nkhotakota; Machinga ADD has a total of 16 in which 8 are in Balaka, 4 in Zomba, 3 in Machinga and 1 in Mangoch; Karonga ADD has a total of 5 whereby 4 are in Chitipa and 1 in Karonga; Shire Valley ADD has a total of 5 whereby 4 are in Chikwawa and 1 in Nsanje and lastly Salima ADD has a total of 5 mega farms whereby 4 are in Nkhotakota and 1 in Salima. (Retrieved from Malawi Ministry of Agriculture)

All the mega farms growing different crops for food supply and raw materials within Malawi and other for export in foreign countries, hence generating foreign currency and as a result incrementing Malawi’s economy.