The Ministry of Agriculture through Mega Farm Unit on Tuesday hosted a National Soya Bean Innovation Forum which was held at Mega Farm office at Kanengo in Lilongwe.
The Forum which was organised in conjunction with Paramount Holdings, One of the largest certificated soya off-takers in the country, aimed at sensitizing soya bean farmers on how they can revolutionise the soya bean industry into a commercial one through mega farm implementation.
The Controller of Agriculture Extension and Technical Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Alfred Mwenifumbo, said the Forum is an eye opener to farmers who want to Make an impact in the agriculture sector through the spearheading of Mega Farm implementation strategy and Agriculture Commercialization.
He said, that due to last year’s poor performance of soya bean production, the ministry organised the Forum to help and provide solutions to soya farmers on how they can produce quality soya beans which can potentially fetch good prices on both local and international markets.
He said Paramount Holdings is one of the Private Sector implementation stakeholders which has shown much interest in investing in soya production, adding the company will work closely with Mega Farm Unit and farmers in facilitating markets and production innovations as one way of enhancing soya production in the country.
“Malawi produces 380,000 metric tonnes of soya a year, as a ministry we want these farmers to embark on mass production of soya bean to surpass a minimum of 1 Million metric tonnes by 2030 in order to realise the MEGA Farm Implementation Plan and the #Mw2063“.said Mwenefumbo.
Mwenifumbo also encouraged farmers in the country to embrace agriculture mechanisation, hence the need for farmers to use modern technology such as tractors to complement modern agriculture systems for high-yield productivity.
In his remarks, the Managing Director for Paramount Holdings, Mahesh Ghedia, said their company is working with government in facilitating the soya market in China and assisting farmers with farm inputs for progress in the improving of soya production in the country.
Reported by Gift Chiponde
