Transforming Agriculture to Transform Malawi
Today, I want to tell this country again that we are transforming Malawi.
We are here today to launch the Shire Valley Transformation Programme. This programme demonstrates that Malawi is steadily moving away from dependence on rain-fed agriculture to irrigated agriculture.
We have said before that we will bring agriculture revolution in Malawi through the Green Belt Initiative.
The Shire Valley Transformation Irrigation Project shows the doubters that our Green Belt dream is working.
With this programme, we are steadily moving from our dependence on rain-fed to irrigation agriculture.
The Shire Valley Transformation Programme is a game changer.
In the first phase, we will develop over 43,000 hectares of land. For this phase we are investing 175 billion kwacha. This money is already available.
When we complete Phase 2 and Phase 3, we will have put more than 100,000 hectares under irrigation in Chikwawa and Nsanje. Once completed this will be probably the biggest agriculture irrigation scheme in Southern Africa.
We are transforming this country. We are transforming this country by transforming our agriculture.
For a long time, agriculture has been our way of life for growing food. Now we want agriculture to be our way of life for creating employment and new wealth for Malawi.
Under this programme, our farmers in the two districts will move from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
The Shire Valley Transformation Programme will use gravity to supply water to the fields. This means that we will no longer worry about power to pump water to our farms. This will lead to low cost of production for our farmers to realize bigger profits.
In this programme, we will see factories that process our produce into finished products ready for export. This is transformation. Industrialization is coming to Nsanje and Chikwawa.
This programme is one of the many programmes we are implementing across the country to transform our agriculture. We are also implementing the following projects:
We are implementing the Agriculture Commercialization Project. In this project, we are investing 71 billion kwacha into empowering Malawians to move from subsistence to commercial agriculture. We want to create new wealth using agriculture. The project will be implemented across the country.
We are implementing the Kutukula Ulimi mMalawi programme. In this programme, we are investing 93 billion kwacha into empowering Malawians to improve food security and nutrition. We are implementing the programme in 10 districts across the country.
We are implementing the Agriculture Sector Wide Approach. In this programme, we are investing 54 billion kwacha to empower Malawians to diversify from tobacco and maize and resuscitate the banana industry.
We are implementing the Agriculture Infrastructure and Youth in Agri-Business Project. In this project, we are investing 18 billion kwacha to develop two irrigation schemes in Nkhotakota and Nkhata Bay. We want to support our farmers and the youth to turn to commercial agriculture.
We are implementing the Programme for Rural Irrigation Development. In this programme, we are investing 64 billion kwacha to develop 15 irrigation schemes in Chitipa, Karonga, Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Machinga, Zomba, Chiradzulu and Phalombe.
These are some of the programmes we are implementing in our collective vision to transform our agriculture and transform Malawi.
Our collective vision is to transform Malawi from an importing and consuming country to a producing and exporting country. We want to empower Malawians to create wealth for themselves.
We have land. We have water. We have our minds to think. And we have our hands to work with. Why should we be poor people?
As I have always said Malawi is not a poor country. This country has everything. And there is no reason why we should continue to be poor if we use our minds wisely.
I therefore appeal to all Malawians to use the opportunities my Government is creating to move ourselves out of poverty.
We want development to start from rural communities to towns and cities. We want to take development to the people, instead of taking the people to development.
I want rural areas to be centres of development in Malawi:
I want every community to be food secure;
I want every community to have electricity;
I want every community to have a good road network;
I want every community to have a good primary and secondary school;
I want every community to have a community technical college;
I want every community to have a good hospital; and,
I want every community to have potable water supply.
This is how we want to transform this country. This is the Malawi we want.
On this note I want to thank our development partners for supporting our vision to transform agriculture and improve the quality of lives of Malawians.
Let me thank the World Bank, the African Development Bank, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Nigerian Trust Fund, the Global Environmental Facility for supporting the Shire Valley Transformation Programme. We appreciate your support for agriculture revolution in Malawi.
With these remarks, I declare the Shire Valley Transformation Programme officially launched.
Thank you for your attention
God Bless You All!
God Bless Malawi!
