By Donald Zimba

Lilongwe, February 20, Mana: The Greenbelt Greenhouse Limited (GGL) says it has now started reaping fruits of agriculture commercialization after exporting 70 tons of bell pepper to South Africa since November 2023 and realizing about US$65,000.

According to Sales and Marketing Manager Tamandani Chanza, the company is making significant strides that will go a long way to contributing to forex generation for Malawi.

Chanza said: “Today we are exporting three tons of bell pepper to South Africa where we have secured markets. This trip is the 26th in four months. And that should show you that we are quite serious with the venture.”

Asked on how GGL managed to stay competitive on South African Market, considering that South Africa is a major food and vegetable producer and exporter globally, Chanza was quick to point out that as a company they are very serious on quality control, starting from the greenhouses to processing and packaging.

“Everything is precise and regulated in the pump house, starting from the amount of water, fertilizer, and pesticide that each plant gets.

“And even the amount of light that the plants get is regulated to make sure the plant gets only what it needs to have quality produce; that way, no market would reject our product,” she explained.

Commenting on the development, Agriculture Production Manager for the Greenbelt Authority (GBA), Mesiah Moleni, disclosed that at first they had challenges with securing markets, as they were only supplying to local markets.

“With the South Africa deal, we are hopeful to penetrate more external markets. We are in talks with Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana. I must say as an authority we are satisfied with what GGL is doing,” said Moleni.

Apart from forex, GGL has also contributed to job creation in the country, having employed about 130 Malawians.

This development comes barely days after President Lazarus Chakwera delivered his 4th State of the Nation Address where he emphasized that agriculture commercialization was one of the sure ways of getting Malawi out of the economic challenges experienced in 2023.