By Phyllis Nkhoma

Kasungu, August 21, Mana: Chief Agricultural Officer for Kasungu, Chikumbutso Liwonde says availability of well established markets can help boost agricultural productivity and assist farmers to progress in agri-business.

In an interview at the end of a three-day agriculture fair in Kasungu on Saturday, Liwonde said availability of good markets in the country would encourage farmers to expand their agricultural enterprises and take agriculture as a serious business venture.

He said: “Every year, our farmers cultivate diverse crops for both food and commercial purposes. However, they do not benefit much because of lack of good markets.

“In most cases, farmers sell their produce to local vendors at very low prices. In the end, they do not benefit anything from their work and in the long run, it discourages and force them to scale down production.”

Liwonde said the district agricultural fair was, therefore, organised to help farmers to meet and interact with potential buyers and also to accord them with an opportunity to learn modern methods of farming for improved yields.

Mayor for Kasungu Municipality, Heese Nyangu, said the agricultural fair was a good platform where farmers exhibited their produce for the attention of prospective buyers.

He encouraged farmers to adopt crop diversification to shrug off climatic shocks and also as a means to earn more from farming.

“Let us produce diverse crops so that we should have enough food and something for sale. This way we can easily prosper,” he said.

One of the farmers, Grace Shaba of Mphomwa Cooperative which produces cooking oil, asked Malawians to be buying farm produce from the local farmers saying most people opt to buy imported products.

“It is disheartening that most Malawians buy imported products while the same products are available locally. Buying locally produced products does not only support local farmers, but also helps to preserve foreign currency which we all know is in short supply,” she said.

Organised by the Kasungu agriculture office under the theme “Enhanced agriculture productivity and market linkage, key to industrialisation”, the fair attracted various farming cooperatives and individuals from across the district.

Agricultural commercialisation and productivity is one of the anchoring pillars of the Malawi 2063 development blueprint which seeks to make Malawi a middle income and self-reliant country by 2063.