By Patricia Kapulula in Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi, May 7, Mana: Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale says Malawi is geared to ensure an improvement in fertilizer usage and soil management in the country in the next two years, thereby achieving greater results in the agricultural sector.

Kawale was speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit currently underway in Kenya.

He said through policies and programmes put in place, the country will see a 25 percent jump in the usage of fertilizer as well as soil management.

Kawale said this will see the country achieve food and nutrition security and a tremendous economic progress.

“Currently, the policies and programmes that we have put in place will help increase production of organic fertilizer which is cheaper than chemical fertilizer. Organic fertilizer improves soil health because it puts nutrients back into the soil,” he said.

The Summit, which has brought together all relevant stakeholders to highlight the crucial role of fertilizer and soil health in stimulating sustainable pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture, will agree on an African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan that will deliver concrete recommendations to be taken by African leaders in the next 10 years.

According to Kawale, Malawi has a lot of success stories and programmes that it may not even take 10 years to ensure that the action plan is implemented.

African Union (AU) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE), Josefa Sacko, said Malawi is doing well in fertilizer usage with 96 kilogrammes of fertilizer used per hectare compared to other countries which are at an average of 40 kilogrammes per hactare.

President Lazarus Chakwera is expected to attend the Heads of State and Government AFSH meeting scheduled for Thursday.

In June 2006, AU Heads of State and Government endorsed the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the Africa Green revolution, a continental strategy to reverse the worrying trend of poor productivity of the African soils.

The declaration focused on key targets required for agricultural growth, food security and rural development in Africa, with a focus on fertilizer.