By Mary Makhiringa

Balaka, June 12, Mana: National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) Zone Manager for Balaka Hamphrey Thondolo has challenged youth in Balaka to venture into productive farming if the country is to make progress in terms of food security.

Thondolo said, NEEF is currently giving out loans to groups as well as individuals willing to do farming on a large scale, saying, this is the only way they can make headways and also pay back their loans without problems.

He said this in Balaka, during a stakeholder’s awareness meeting with Balaka youth empowerment forum, which among other things centres on the business model in which all participants were taken through.

Said Thondolo: “We wanted to raise awareness among the youth on the packages that we have and how we disburse loans and collect the money back.

“Malawi is currently facing a serious food deficit that is why we want to do more of agriculture loans. For example, we would like farmers who can be in a group and do farming at least at 50 hectares.

“We will be able to give them fertilizer; seeds as well as watering pumps for those that would like to do irrigation farming. We have not even restricted those that would like to get ploughs as we would like to do away with the hoes as they consume more time to do land preparation.”

According to him, if the youth in Malawi embrace farming, Malawi will no longer be a food insecure country, as food will be produced all year round and in turn, some will also be exported outside the country to get forex.

Thondolo therefore asked all NEEF clients to always repay their loans for others to benefit from the same as records have shown that a lot of people are defaulting from paying back their loans.

Hazerad Pilane, Chairperson for Balaka youth empowerment wing thanked NEEF for the meeting, saying it has further opened up their minds and were already eager to start as he has seen the possibility of doing better in agriculture.

He said: “As the youth, the kind of businesses that we used to do was far from farming.  We used to think farming could not be achieved since as the youth we do not own land, but as I come out of the meeting, my mind has been reactivated and I am assured of a better ending in farming.

“I will quickly suggest that irrigation farming is the way to go, and working hand in hand with the agriculture office will help to increase chances of doing better in farming, thereby making it easy also to pay back the loan and access a higher one in future.”

Established in 2014 as Malawi Rural Development Fund (MARDEF) and later rebranded to NEEF, the organisation is there to contribute to the country’s economic development, increase employment and foster an enterprising spirit in underserved populations particularly women, youth and persons with disability.