LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Farmers Organization Limited (FOL) through its sister company Segenta this week introduced four types of pesticides that aims at containing the vicious fall armyworm for farmers to realize bumper harvest.

The organization has also introduced news dry-tolerant maize seed variety MRI 514 and seed dressing protection from soil-borne pep.

The introduction of the products comes as farmers are geared for the next coming growing season amid assurance from metrological department that the nation will experience good rains.

Fall armyworm pesticides including Proclaim Fit, Chrorpyrifos (dorsban), Belt, Steward and Decis Forte among others.

FOL products are already on the market whose main distributor is Farmers World that farmers provided with quality farm inputs.

Hannock Madeira, FOL’s Retail Sales & Marketing Manager told The Maravi Post during field day at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) that the products introduced were meant to bring desired produces.

Madeira said rural farmers deserve quality farm inputs for high yields to avert hunger crisis which the nation experience yearly.

“The new farm inputs introduced on the market that include pesticides, new maize variety and seed control pep from soil damage will bring much needed produces. The new maize variety fits for both rainy fed and winter cropping cultivation,” said Madeira.

Emmy Sohal, Farmers World’ Head of Retail Operation assured farmers in the country of availability of FOL’ products on their retail shops for easy accessibility.

Sohal said will make sure that authentic farm inputs are available on the market for the desired produces.

By Joshua Williams Orwell Jr.

Malawi’s leading certified crops seed company, Seed Co has introduced a new Vitamin A Bio-fortified Orange hybrid maize seed in response to the climate change that has resulted in most farmers harvesting low yields.

Agronomist at the company Joseph Mukona revealed to the Malavi Post that the new hybrid seed can even grow in lower rainfall areas remarking that farmers can expect to harvest the crop after 3 months and the seed produce 5-7 tons per hectare.

“The exciting thing about this new hybrid seed is that it has the much needed Vitamin A and can be grown in most places across the country. It’s like the white maize only that this new vitamin A Bio-fortified orange hybrid maize seed is a medium maturity variety seed.” Said Joseph Mukona.

The new Vitamin A Bio-fortified Orange Hybrid Maize seed matures early and produces double or multiple cobs. Mukono further disclosed that the crop can be grown in both summer and winter revealing that the maize is drought tolerant.

The Vitamin A Bio-fortified Orange hybrid Maize seed is currently available in all the country’s cities including some districts like Balaka at all Seed Co outlets.

Malawi is one of the countries hit worst by the effects of climate change and recently the country witnessed the outbreak of fall army worm which originates from South America and has devastated a lot of field in the country.

As one way of countering this deadly pest, the Ministry of Agriculture has been encouraging farmers to grow crops which mature early to avoid incurring heavy losses because of the climate change.

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s leading Smartphone and network provider Airtel Malawi on Monday launched credit data usage tips for its customers.

Dubbed as PA NET DATA TIPS Campaign, the initiative aims at equipping customers for proper usage of data amid improved network which is consuming much credit data.

The launch comes also amid general outcry of users that their data is not sustainable when using due to improved 3G network coverage in the cities as well as stronger 3G indoor coverage.

A few months ago, the company has been upgrading it network coverage that has led to faster data speeds and consumption stemming from our internet speeds.

Tips will be published monthly via print, Airtel social media pages and digital (online) that other tips will highlight how to monitor app usage, manage background app behaviour, automatic downloads, tethering and software updates among others.

Emmanuel Kasambala, Airtel Malawi Marketing Director told news conference in the capital Lilongwe that customers must value their monies with proper usage of the data amid economic challenges.

Kasambara observed that due to improved network there has been also increased consumer usage behaviours like tethering, video streaming, regular app updates, utilisation of WhatsApp statuses, snap chats, Instagram among others.

“Not surprisingly, we have also recently noted a surge in complaints like, “my bundle has finished faster than I expected.” from customers. For such scenarios, we have been hands-on in assisting customers by verifying their usage patterns and confirming how their data has been depleted on their Smartphone’s by among other tools, using the customers’ in-built data tracker for android phones or the My Data Manager mobile app for iPhones.

“From the Pa Net Data Tips Campaign, we will share tips on how Smartphone users can monitor the mobile applications that use up the most data and manage the behavior of some apps, and even how users can best manage a Smartphone as a hotspot (also known as tethering), and so on. Our aim is to make sure our customer’s data experience on the Smartphone network becomes a true testament of quality and efficiency,” said Kasambara.

By Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost) – The 2015 Malawi Investment Forum (MIF) which government hosted starts bearing fruits following this week’s launch of the Lilongwe Grand Business Park Project, Maravi Post has learnt.

The park which will be the first of its kind in the country will be located in Area 46 along the by-pass road in the capital Lilongwe.

Malawi Investment Trade Centre (MITC)’Public Relations Manager, Deliby Chimbalu told The Maravi Post that the project comprises 20 hectares of integrated mall and hotel development.

Chimbalu disclosed that the project is being promoted by China Lilongwe Grand Holding Corporation Limited Company which was registered in Malawi in August 2015.

The MITC publicist explains that the business park will comprise a shopping mall, high class office buildings, villas with supporting facilities such as a five star hotel and Conference center.

“We are pleased to inform the public that all the processes regarding implementation of the Lilongwe Grand Business Park project have been finalized and a ground breaking ceremony for the same has been arranged on November, 22 this year. The park is aimed at providing business facilities under one roof.

“The project has been designed in a way that people dealing in commercial activities will find basically everything under one roof. Talk of building materials, decoration materials, furniture, clothing boutiques, cars and auto-parts sales, electrical appliances, banking facilities and on top of that the business park will have wide internet coverage,” explains Chimbalu.

The whole investment is estimated to cost US$100 million; and will be completed within five years, but in three phases. It is also estimated that this investment will directly create 1,500 jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs for the local people here in Malawi.

It is expected that President Peter Mutharika will preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the project.

Meanwhile, MITC says it is continuing to follow up on other deals that were made in the MIF 2015 and MIF 2016 as preparations for the third Investment Forum in June 2018 are underway.

By Maravi Post

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The much awaited Buy Malawi Strategy (BMS) website was this week launched with low turnout of business captains, individuals to patronize the event in the capital Lilongwe.

The development angered the Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Henry Mussa who called Malawians to be patriotic to their country’s developmental agendas government was advancing.

The event that was expected to be colorful only a handful audience gathered at Mulanje Room at Sunbird Capital in the capital Lilongwe patronized the launch.

The Trade Minister Mussa minced his words on the development saying the nation must embrace various initiatives government was championing for social-economic development of this country.

Mussa was however quick to say BMS website will help local investors to source markets for their products across abroad.

The minister therefore urged business persons to make use of the website that it generates that needed demand for markets sales locally and internationally.

“This event was supposed to be held in Blantyre as it’s the country’s commercial city. But despite that I didn’t expect low turnout of people to such a big event. We must be patriotic our nation developmental agenda. This is our county and nobody will come to develop it.

“Therefore, let me appeal to investors to make use of the website to get maximum market benefits locally and international. We need quality products on that page that will attract much needed business that generate the country forex”, urges Mussa.

Andrew Spezowka, UNDP Portfolio Manager Resilience and Sustainable Growth whose organization financed the website development concurred with the Minister on the call of making use online page to get bankable markets.

Spezowka said was delighted to see Malawi has website that will next local traders to international markets for growth of their businesses.

BMS Executive Committee Chairperson Karl Chokotho disclosed that many companies, individuals are showing much interest on the website usage that all necessary measures that the page be accessible to business captains.

The website; www.buymalawi.mw is in line with BMS mission that seeks to stimulate local production and growth by inspiring consumers to embrace locally produced goods and services instead of imported products.

This thereby builds the competitiveness of enterprises, leading to greater economic growth and increased welfare for all Malawians.

The President Peter Mutharika launched the campaign March 18, 2016 with the call to patronize locally made products.

Ex Press Agriculture Limited (PAL) tenants in Kasungu say they are still struggling to find land on which to settle and farm after their employment was terminated with the organisation.

The ex-employees, who were taken from several districts as tenants in the 1970s, say they are denied access to land for them to cultivate crops and to settle after PAL chased them from its estates following termination of their employment.

Speaking during a debate which was organized by Millenium Information and Resource Centre (MIRECE) and MUDI AFRICA on Thursday, one of the ex-tenants, Levison Mdaferapo Mwale, said they are deprived of their rights to land.

The debate was organised and conducted under the theme “Equal Access to Land and Fair Labour and Tenant law is a birth Right of Citizens.”

“Although it is said that every citizen has a right to hold land regardless of his status, we poor people are not being helped on the issue of land.

“We have no freedom and years are passing with no government office helping us out on the issue,” Mwale said.

He added that the situation they are in is affecting the education of their children as they have been forced to settle in camps far away from schools.

Commenting on the matter, district labour assistant officer, James Kumpani, said there is no law that says a tenant has to be given a place to settle or cultivate after terminating ties with the employer.

“It is not the mandate of PAL to find a place for the tenants to settle after a contract was terminated, but it is the duty of PAL to take back the tenants where they were taken from,” said Kumpani.

However, some information gathered has shown that the people refused to be taken back to their home districts, claiming they would not be welcomed while others said they were born in the estates or they came while they were young and could not trace their home districts.

MIRECE Executive Director, Reverend Flywell Somanje, said the debate was organised in order to help people understand more about land rights and labour laws.

The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) says construction of new service stations will now undergo tough scrutiny as one way of ensuring safety and quality service delivery from filling stations in the country.

This follows the implementation of new laws in liquid, fuels and gas that mandate MERA to inspect sites earmarked for construction of filling stations which are now referred as service stations.

The new law only allows construction of a service station within one kilometer of an existing service station, one hundred meters away from a public institution or 50 meters from a residential.

Previously, people would identify their own preferential sites and construct filling stations without following proper procedures and standards and only engaged MERA in applying for business licenses.

MERA Director of liquid fuels and gas Alinafe Mkavea said the absence of proper procedures backed by a legal framework resulted in unnecessary construction of filling stations which posed elevated risks like loss of lives and properties in cases of accident.

“The previous scenario of setting up filling stations had many risks because it did not provide for checks in standards and safety because MERA was not involved in the process from the beginning.

Now we expect people to come before construction begins to get a construction license after approval from the authority,” Mkavea said.

She added now the authority is mandated to work with clients on identifying proper construction sites for a service station to the end.

“The laws are now in force and we expect sanity in the energy sector terms of constructing service centers,’ she said.

On filling stations that have been already constructed but do not meet standards and requirements prescribed by the new laws, Mkavea said the new regulations require MERA to issue improvement notices which instructs the owners to rectify the shortfalls that may affect operations of service stations.

She, however, acknowledged challenges still remain with filling stations constructed in unsafe locations.

Mkavea said it is difficult to the law retrospectively to filling stations erected on unsafe locations because the laws were effected on September 15.

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LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Valued added products coupled with quality packaging are said to be recipe for bankable markets, it has been learnt.

This is the area Malawi industrial sector is unable to invest in order to fetch reliable markets for their products.

It’s this reason Malawi Investment and Trade Center (MITC) this week persuaded local companies to improve on packaging their products.

MITC’s Chief Executive Officer, Clement Kumbemba told The Maravi Post in an interview after a capacity-building for producers and exporters in the capital Lilongwe that time was ripen for Malawi to fetch more Forex through packaged products.

The workshop aimed at identifying the various challenges holding back the country’s producers and exporters in meeting demands of international markets with their products.

Kumbemba observed that Malawi was losing billion of kwacha in Forex through improper packaging.

“Our research has revealed that sometimes people lose markets because of poor packaging now we are saying that let’s improve on packaging so we need to overcome on the issues of packaging.

“That is why MITC organized this workshop to equip producers and exporters with skills that will be required for their products to be certified as of good quality. These factors negatively affect the products’ competitiveness at international markets within the region and worldwide,” said Kumbemba.

In his remarks, Dr. Joseph Mkadawire Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, said the ministry expect producers and exporters to improve their products.

Dr. Mkandawire said will support MITC in its quest of impacting knowledge in packaging and quality standards.

He said Malawi can penetrate international market if its products are of the high quality and well graded and create employment.

“To penetrate the international market, there has to be good grading and packaging of our products before export.

“The message to Malawians is that they need to know what should be expected of the country’s products to meet international market standards,” said Mkandawire.

The conference covered including packaging development and design, packaging industry sectors and opportunities of the packaging sectors.