Umodzi Wathu Women Cooperative impresses Minister of Agriculture

Blantyre, October 23, Mana: A group of women with various professional backgrounds under the name; Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society Limited said they are well set to do more than dairy cattle farming on their farm at Chigumula where they started after a K111 million grant from Agricultural Commercialization (AGCOM) project in 2023.

Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society disclosed this when Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale visited the group at Chigumula on Monday in Blantyre where they are rearing cattle with support from the AGCOM project which seeks to transform smallholder agriculture from subsistence to commercial.

Kawale said is impressed with the women’s determination and unity in the dairy enterprises, adding that this was in line with Malawi’s commercialization drive and women’s participation in agricultural development.

“Just know that the ministry is impressed with what you are doing. Be in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture and are ready to guide you.

“Always ask us whenever you are stuck somewhere. Don’t limit yourself. Opportunities are there,” Kawale said and encouraged them to get themselves familiar with various technologies of making animal feed other than depending on maize stalks only.

“Get to know many agricultural technologies in making animal feed. Keep learning, keep asking questions and keep engaging,” added Kawale after appreciating the dairy cows farming at Chigumula farm which the group said is set to develop the place by growing other crops to complement the dairy cattle farming.

The cooperative operates under the motto; Cultivating Dreams, Nourishing Hope and is comprised of 54 women including pensionaries, bankers, lawyers, accountants, university students and young women.

Mid 2021, four women came together to start a group and decided to mobilize fellow women into what is called Umodzi wathu Cooperative Society, today, a legally registered entity.

The minister said it was pleased that the women who are from different professional backgrounds grouped themselves into a society with one purpose of moving forward to become a cooperative which looks forward to embarking on various value-adding agricultural activities.

He added that Ministry of Agriculture was looking forward to support such cooperatives and encouraged Umodzi wathu to routinely seek technical expertise from livestock veterinarians for successful daily farming.

“Let us shift from subsistence farming to commercialization. This is where Malawi is driving to,” he added and expressed optimism that Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society will rise to become a successful agricultural commercial entity.

Umodzi Wathu Cooperative Society, Chairperson Sylvia Mataka hailed Kawale for visiting the group saying this is motivation enough to keep the women going with a vision of becoming one of the successful cooperatives in Malawi,

The cooperative received a grant of K111 million in 2023 from the AGCOM project after meeting many requirements that included submission of a concept note, business plan and registration with the authorities.

Mataka commended AGCOM project management for being accommodative and supportive to Umodzi wathu Cooperative Society, saying the cooperative has a mission to become a force to reckon with in dairy cattle farming with intentions to make dairy products such as cheese and butter.

Blantyre District Commissioner, Alex Mdooko also hailed the women for teaming up to become a cooperative which is geared to provide jobs for people at Chigumula and surrounding areas in the course of dairy cattle farming.

He disclosed that Blantyre District has 17 cooperatives with some of them in dairy, poultry, piggery, soya beans and ordinary beans farming.

“Most of these groups are supported by the AGCOM project. Agricultural commercialization is the way to go and we should think of value chain, value addition,” Mdooko added.

With the K111 million AGCOM grant, Umodzi wathu Cooperative Society procured dairy cattle, water storage tanks, constructed feeding sheds, manure sheds, ponds and an office among others.

The group said, if funds permit, it will buy additional cattle, lorry for feed transportation, tractor and cooling to effectively manage the farm for better results.

AGCOM is a Malawi Government project funded by the World Bank to transform the country’s agriculture sector.