Group calls for irrigation scale-up to grow economy

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), a farmer-centred, African-led and partnership-driven institution, says Malawi needs to scale up irrigation farming to maximise agricultural output for economic growth.

In a statement, Agra says the majority of farmers produce once a year, but given the irrigation opportunity, they could be producing twice or thrice a year and maximise on economic prospects.

The organisation has called for de-risking lending to smallholder farmers to provide financial capital needs, which will support them to produce three times a year through irrigation.

Agra board chairperson Hailemariam Dessalegn, who is also former prime minister of Ethiopia, said Lake Malawi presents a huge opportunity for irrigation.

“Lake Malawi presents a huge opportunity for irrigation and land does not seem a challenge for the country. Malawi is on the right path towards achieving an inclusive agriculture transformation,” he said.

Malawi remains an agrarian economy, with the agriculture sector contributing about 80 percent to the foreign exchange earnings, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The sector employs millions of  people, but its potential is not maximised.

The Green Belt Authority (GBA) has been calling for massive participation of the private sector in championing commercial irrigation ventures, arguing that government resources alone cannot be enough for such mega investments.

The GBA said massive investments in commercial agricultural irrigation by the private sector would help the country to quickly recover from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

In an earlier interview, Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry chief executive officer Chancellor Kaferapanjira challenged the GBA to come up with a workable plan on how it wants the private sector to participate.

“Agriculture is important and everyone is talking about the Covid-19 pandemic threats ahead but from our angle, the biggest threat is that people will not be able to make money because of reduced buying power and loss of income,” he said.

In an interview on Wednesday, Farmers Union of Malawi president Frighton Njolomole said farmers are ready to work with the GBA to contribute to pandemic economic recovery.

In the 2020/21 financial year, government committed to implement Agriculture Commercialisation Project, Agriculture Infrastructure and Youth in Agribusiness Project, a mong others.