By Mary Makhiringa

Balaka, April 5, Mana: Balaka District Council on Friday urged all farmers in the district to avoid selling their maize produce to vendors, citing an average maize crop yield in the 2024/2025 agricultural season.

Council Chairperson, Councilor Pharao Kambiri, made the call at the 2025 district agriculture field day at Rivirive Extension Planning Area which was held under the theme: Climate smart and diversified agriculture, key to sustainable food and nutritional security.

He observed that the district received average crop yield in the 2024/2025 agricultural season with most people prone to hunger following anticipated little harvest.

Kambiri said, “We have noted with concern that farmers are selling their maize to vendors with others going as low as K30,000 per bag. This is very worrisome considering the fact that they are the same people who literally had no food at home just two months ago.

“What we are saying is that, farmers must make calculations of their household members before selling out their maize. For a fully grown up person, every year he or she consumes up to six bags of 50 kilograms of maize, so before selling, people must take this into account.”

He said farmers need to wait till government releases the farm gate prices of commodities so that they sell at a recommended price.

Director of Agriculture at Balaka District Council, David Alli said field days provide opportunity for farmers to share experiences and showcase technologies that need to be adopted to increase crop production.

“We bring together non-governmental organizations in the agricultural sector, farmers and other stakeholders so that together we showcase technologies for farmers to adopt. We also remind one another challenges we face in executing agricultural practices.

“Apart from this, agro dealers also bring forward more new improved seed varieties that have been introduced on the market, in which farmers are encouraged to adopt especially now that the agriculture sector has faced serious challenges related to climate changes,” he added.

Commenting on the overall crop performance in the farming year, Alli said the district has seen a better yield as compared to the previous year.

“It is encouraging that apart from maize, a lot of farmers have also invested in sorghum and the crop has really done well in most areas which will act as a cushion to the people as it can be substituted with maize,” he added.