By Lily Kampani

Liwonde, September 10, Mana: Malawi Fertilizer Company (MFC) has committed to supporting farmers in the country to increase soil productivity by providing quality soil-specific fertilizer called ‘Super Fert fertilizer’ that will contribute to enhancing crop yield in Mega farms.

Speaking on Tuesday in Liwonde during a Mega farm tour of their state-of-the-art, Liwonde fertilizer terminal, MFC General Manager, Chris Keen said their company aims to provide tailored blends, water-soluble and organic fertilizers as well as expert advice to mega farmers on the best fertilizer to use for their crops and soil.

“This event was necessitated from a combination of a drive from Mega farms to find technical solutions for the mega farmers and to look out for people who were willing to look seriously to providing the technical advice to the mega farmers while at the same time providing the product to them.

“As a fertilizer company ourselves, it is extremely important to look at these mega farmers as they are our future and see how we can put hands together and use our expertise to help them and make them more productive”, Keen explained.

Keen emphasized that they would ensure that the fertilizers are affordable to mega farmers as an investment in their productivity.

“As with any of our technical support, there is a range from a cost-effective solution where the farmer can pay minimal in terms of analysis cost and other costs for technical expertise.

“This might include someone that is starting from a more ground reach basis right up to potentially technical services and Agri-economic services of precision farming which entails hundreds of soil samples and a lot of intervention from the business, that is catered towards a higher level of farming, so it’s something that will have to be tailor-made for each of the farmers”, he said.

Chairman for mega farmers in Mponela, Jonathan Kamakanda described the event as enriching and beneficial to promoting crop productivity and increasing their technical expertise on best farm practices.

“We have come to learn and understand the nature of the different soils we have in Malawi and what kind of fertilizer is best suited to it to improve our yield”, said Kamakanda

Kamakanda further said they have been assured of the cost-effectiveness of acquiring the expertise and the fertilizer, which won’t hinder them in accessing these important services and products.

Chief Agri-business Officer for Mega farms unit, Macdonald Chikhawo said MFC has imparted knowledge to the farmers on how they can get inputs that are tailor-made and how to improve on the productivity component.

“Farmers have been encouraged to use fertilizer based on the soil testing because now they will make well-informed decisions as to what specific types of fertilizer, they should get for their fields so they can attain the ultimate goal of improved productivity”, Chikhawo said.

He further stated that their farmers are linked to markets where they can sell their products so they can enjoy the benefits that NFRA (National Food Reserve Agency) is offering to the Mega farmers of selling their produce at good market prices.

The Liwonde fertilizer terminal can produce fertilizer at 120mt per hour and has a market share of approximately 45 percent across all sectors.