LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Ministry of Agriculture has contracted Paramount Holdings Limited (PHL) as one of the buyers of soya beans from mega farms farmers initiatives.

Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale disclosed this on Tuesday, after touring Harry Kanjudzi mega farms in Msundwe, Lilongwe.

Kawale said before embarking on the initiative, government already had market off- takers for the farm produce including Paramount Holdings Limited (PHL) for soyabeans from farmers.

The minister disclosed that produces under the mega farms will be sold to National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc), Pyxus Agriculture and Paramount Holdings Limited.

“NFRA and Admarc were contracted to buy maize, Pyxus Agriculture is supposed to buy groundnuts while Paramount Holding will be buying soy beans. And there will be Nasfam [National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi] and other markets that will be coming to help in buying the produce.

“It is the government’s wish to move more farmers from the Affordable Inputs Program (AIP) to commercial farming. We have funding with Agriculture Commercialization Project (Agcom) that has about MK600 million and National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) with MK30 billion to help in the initiative,” said Kawale.

Kawale disclosed further that the ministry expects to get 35,000 metric tonnes (mt) of maize from the mega farms initiative this year.

In this growing season, the government contracted 200 farmers to participate in the mega farms initiative countrywide.

Through the partnership with Afrexim bank, government is set to develop 50,000 hectares of arable land and facilitate crop production in rice, soya beans.

Recently, President Lazarus Chakwera discussed with Afrexim Bank officials the issue of mega farms’ funding, saying the initiative would boost the food security and economy of the country.
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