By Bishop Witmos

Mangochi, June 11, Mana:   Greenbelt Authority has equipped farmers under the Mlambe Irrigation Scheme in Mangochi with knowledge and skills to run their agri-business as a cooperative to realize more profits for sustainability.

The Authority is currently working with farmers on an 800 hectares of land at Mlambe for commercial irrigation farming, starting from 2024's winter season.

Speaking at the end a one-week training of over 200 farmers on Sunday, Greenbelt Authority, Agriculture Production Officer, Gedion Nzumani said that authority intends to empower farmers in Mangochi to take farming as commercial enterprise.

“We are expecting to grow high-value crops at Mlambe to boost agriculture productivity and exports, we want to ensure that farmers at the scheme are operating as producers and marketing cooperative so that they should benefit from their agri-business."

“This would even help them to benefit from the grants that Agricultural Commercialization (Agcom) is currently providing to farmers across the country,” he said. 

According to the Agricultural Extension Development Officer (AEDO) for Namiasi Extension Planning Area, Kondwani Mithi, the initiative would assist farmers at Mlambe to easily find market for their produce.

One of the training participants, Ellen Mumba, commended the Greenbelt Authority for the training, describing it as an eye opener.

“Through the training, we have been enlightened on how to run our farming as a team and also to ensure that we are able to outsource for markets before we start our business. As such, we are very grateful,” she said.

Mlambe Irrigation Scheme has been operating during rainfall season only, for over 10 years and Greenbelt Authority took over the scheme last year to upgrade it into a mega farm, where they will be using water from Lake Malawi for winter Irrigation.