On Thursday, Phillip Morris International, in collaboration with Pyxus Agriculture Limited launched the second phase of Malawi’s Agricultural Mechanisation Initiative which aims at boosting the country’s agriculture production through the adoption of modern farming methods and increased crop diversification.
Through this initiative, about 7,800 hectares of farm land covering crops such as maize, tobacco and others have so far already been cultivated during it’s first phase which began in 2024.
The initiative also focuses on empowering local farming entrepreneurs to adopt the use of mechanical based farming through provisions of tractors.
Agriculture and Water Development Minister Rosa Mbilizi hailed the program, which has seen the number of tractors given to farmer entrepreneurs on loan expand from 23 in the first phase launched in 2024 to 40 in this second phase, after handing over 17 tractors yesterday.
Mbilizi said the initiative will help the country to transition from manual to modern mechanized farming, thereby boosting productivity and agricultural output through timely land preparation, planting and harvesting while at the same time reducing heavy manual labor.
Further, she said the initiative will ease burdens on women smallholder farmers and will do so sustainably via training, entrepreneurship development and scalable public‑private partnerships aligned with Malawi 2063 and national agriculture policy.
“Mechanisation based agriculture is firmly anchored in Malawi 2063 agenda, the First Malawi Implementation Plan, and the National Agriculture Policy 2024. I would therefore like to sincerely commend and thank Philip Morris International for aligning its support with one of the key priorities of the Government of Malawi,” she said.
The Minister said the emphasis on training entrepreneurs in both business management and technical maintenance, alongside a long-term self-financing structure, provides a strong foundation for continued success.
“Government is fully aware of the challenges that have constrained similar efforts in the past. These include the high cost of machinery, limited access to appropriate technologies, a shortage of skilled operators, and weak supply chains for spare parts. I am pleased to note that this initiative has been designed with these challenges in mind and aligns well with our national objectives,” she said.
In his remarks, Phillip Morris Chief Global Operations Officer Scott Coutts, commended the local farmers for demonstrating their committiment and determination through the adoption of this mechanisation farming model.
“Again and again, I have seen farmers whose expertise outpaces the tools available to them. When that happens, the challenge is not a lack of effort or knowledge it is a lack of access. And when access improves, the results can be immediate and transformative,” said Coutts.
According to Coutts, his company is supporting the country’s national priorities by ensuring that the values created through a sustainable farming model should remain within the local communities and also at the same time enabling business to boost productivity.
“Our continued investment in Malawi goes beyond business. It is an investment in the resilience of the entire supply chain and the prosperity of the communities that sustain it,” said Coutts.
He described Malawi as a country defined by skilled farmers, resilient communities, and a long tradition of agricultural excellence.
“What we see here, time and again, is commitment, capability, and ambition often achieved despite real constraints,” he said.
He said, Malawi Agricultural Mechanisation Initiative is built on a simple but important premise: which include; access to modern equipment, access to opportunities, and access to business models that allow local enterprise to grow and endure.
The initiative is initially supported through capital investment by Philip Morris International and implemented in partnership with Pyxus Agriculture.
According to Coutts, this initiative is designed as an entrepreneur-led, self-financing model that places local business owners at the centre of the solution, rather than relying on one-off interventions.
During this second phase about 2,500 hectares of farm land is expected to be cultivated and benefiting an additional 600 local famers in the process.
