By George Mponda

Karonga, January 23, Mana: Director of Small Medium Enterprises, Cooperatives and Value Addition in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Limbikani Kachiwaya has reaffirmed government's commitment to empower local businesses for them to penetrate the global market.

He said this Wednesday in Karonga when he visited Twitule Community Savings and Investment Promotion (COMSIP) Cooperative Wine Production.

"Government has put a number of initiatives to make sure that cooperatives utilize opportunities to add value to their products. Through the National Economic Empowerment Fund and Agricultural Commercialization (AGCOM) project, there are specific loans for cooperatives to boost their businesses.

“We want to make sure that the products they make are meeting the quality and standards which can satisfy our local market as well as compete on the global market and hence ably contribute to the economic development of our country," said Kachiwaya.

On his part, COMSIP's Cooperative Development and Investment Officer Paul Kamwendo said they have launched a marketing strategy aimed at linking local cooperatives with the international market.

"COMSIP trains people in cooperatives from different areas to change their mindsets and enable them to start up income-generating activities to improve their livelihoods.

"This cooperative was registered in 2012, and we have been assisting them with training and initiatives towards certifying their wine product, so we are very happy that today, they are producing this fine wine which can also go on the international market," said Kamwendo.

Chairperson for Twitule COMSIP Cooperative Wine Production, Eliness Mwakabanga said they have plans to expand the cooperative into a fully-fledged factory.

"We also need support in order for the Malawi Bureau of Standards to certify our product so that it should be found in local and international stores. We are also struggling to get materials especially bottles," Mwakabanga said.