Blantyre, August 29, 2015: Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Dr. Allan Chiyembekeza has said Government is putting in place measures to vigorously promote the Green-belt initiative which was active during late Professor Bingu wa Mutharika’s era.
Dr Chiyembekeza said this is done as Malawi and the world at large continue to experience effects of climate change in the Agricultural sector, among others.
He said this, Tuesday, during the official opening of the 12th National Agriculture Fair at Chichiri Trade Fair Grounds in Blantyre.
He said climate change affects the future of Agriculture in this country, noting that the recent floods and the dry spells that our country experienced in the last agricultural season is a wakeup call for Malawi to double efforts to manage effects of climate change.
“On the other hand, in order to deal with challenges related to overreliance on rain-fed agricultural production system, government has taken measures to revive the Green-belt initiative which aims at intensifying irrigation farming in different localities along Lake Malawi and other perennial rivers.
“The Initiative will ensure that we get good crop harvest under irrigation and the possibility of getting two or more harvests in a year because our dream is to make Malawi a food basket for Africa,” he said.
The Minister urged all players in the Agriculture Sector to be innovative and also to consider adapting to the changing environment by using modern technologies.
On the issue of the 12th National Agricultural Fair, the Minister commended all stakeholders for their huge participation in the event saying their presence is a true testimony of their passion to embrace new ways of doing business and that it is also a practical evidence of the determination that they have to take advantage of the opportunities created by this National Agriculture fair.
“The wide participation of stakeholders here gives me one important impression, that there was a lot of effort put in the preparation and organisation of this fair. I would therefore like to commend the joint effort of Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development for organising this fair,” Chiyembekeza said.
In her speech, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Erica Maganga commended the government plus Malawi Confederation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry for prioritizing Agriculture as a number one tool for Malawi’s development.
MCCCI President, Newton Kambara said the stage of development at which Malawi is, requires massive and accelerated development hence this year’s agriculture fair being one of the tools to influencing that development.
“The majority of people remain poor and most of these people are engaged in basic subsistence farming in the rural areas so our theme aims at provoking the question: How do we ensure that we accelerate the inclusion of these people in the development process, so this year’s fair is a starter to it all,” he said.
During the function, awards were given to the four best performing pavilions. In the first category was Kabunduli Farmers Cooperative which took the best farmers organisation award. In the second category was CIFAO Malawi which was awarded the best Input Supplier Award in the Agro Equipment group.
ARET was awarded the best Service Provider Award and finally was NASFAM who went home with the best Agro-Processor Award.
Among other organisations which are taking part in this fair are, One Village One Product (OVOP), Kulima Gold, Chambo Fisheries and Proto Feeds Ltd.
The National Agriculture Fair which is an annual event that started in 2003 is a forum that provides an opportunity to players in the sector to showcase what they do to their customers and other stakeholders..
