BY Paul Madise

Lilongwe, December 4, Mana: Minister of Agriculture, Sam Dalitso Kawale has appealed to all stakeholders in the agriculture sector for collective efforts to ensure successful implementation of National Agriculture Policy, Agriculture Land Resource Management Policy and National Irrigation Policy in pursuit for an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant industrialized upper-middle income country as outlined in the Malawi 2063 vision.

Kawale made the remarks on Wednesday at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe during the official launch of the country’s agriculture policies. He highlighted that the National Agriculture Policy complements the goals of Malawi 2063 and its First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (MIP-1) by providing comprehensive and clear guidance on implementing agricultural sector interventions.

He also underscored the crucial role agriculture sector plays contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) further describing agriculture sector as the backbone of Malawi’s economy, stating the need for proactive and collaborative efforts in various respective roles to drive the transformation of the country’s agriculture sector.

“As we are aware, Malawi is an agro-based economy. agriculture accounts for about 22.9% of the country’s GDP, employs approximately 64% of the total labor force, and contributes about 80% to our total foreign exchange earnings,” Kawale explained.

Kawale further acknowledged that not only do these policies align with the national long-term development vision but also with international and regional protocols stating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Geoffrey Mamba, Principle Secretary for irrigation also echoed that the policies launched today align well with Malawi 2063 objectives since the development of the policies were informed by a thorough review of the predecessor policies, incorporating valuable lessons and experiences gained from their implementation.

Speaking on behalf of developmental partners, British Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director to Malawi Olympia Werko-Brobby has pledged unwavering commitment to working in partnership with the government of Malawi to deliver innovations in the agriculture sector that will cartelize collectively realization of vision 2063.

“The policies clearly recognize the role of the private sector, and we look forward to continuing this conversation, including collaboration on the regulations that can best encourage businesses,” she said.

The launch of National Agriculture Policy, Agriculture Land Resources Management Policy and National Irrigation Policy attracted team players from civil society and NGOs in the agriculture sector, Farmers Organizations, Private and other international developmental partners.