Agricultural policy in Malawi is out dated

by David Mkwambisi

The importance of agriculture to economic growth in Malawi has already been discussed by many commentators...For example, government statistics reveal that agriculture accounts for 33-37% of the GDP and 85% of the export earnings.

Today, tobacco is the main cash crop accounting for 70% of agricultural export earnings, seconded by tea, sugar cane and coffee. Maize grown on over 90% of cultivated area is the main staple food but also acts as an income earner for the majority in rural areas. Although the calculated contribution of other types of agriculture to the national GDP such as urban farming, dairy farming, root crop cultivation and horticultural crops, is not known, agriculture remains the backbone of our economy.

... agricultural policy is outdated, and requires review to cover issues such as climate change, rural-urban migration, international trade, HIV/AIDS, and other problems faced by modern farmers. This review is long overdue at country level and does not require international conventions.

... there is a weak link between the government and all stakeholders involved in agricultural activities. Policies have failed to empower agricultural research institutions, to create employment and alternative sources of income for both commercial and subsistence farmers.

How many animal and crop breeders do we have in Malawi? Recent statistics reveal that there are less than three practicing animal breeders at PhD level who are surpassed by a local farmer in Mzimba. Of the four horticulturalists (PhD level) only one professor is still engaged in the issues of horticulture. Most of our programme specialists are no longer in the Ministry of Agriculture because of poor working conditions.

... the tobacco sector has been used to exploit local resources with grave environmental consequences. We have no strategic plans to utilise tobacco and other cash crops for expansion of sectors that can not be threatened by climate change, or global health campaigns and market failures.

Probably in terms of food security, the agriculture subsidy programme is a success in its own terms. But there are several challenges and threats of depending on taxi payer’s money to develop a sector such as that of agriculture. Another problem is that programmes that are well designed by technical people are hijacked by politicians and traditional chiefs, denying bona fide beneficiaries the required support.

For a country that has been on the death bed in terms of hunger, we need long term plans to boost food crop production, this can not be achieved through subsidised programmes. The unfortunate part is that maize from these programmes is exported to other countries. What this means is that Malawi is exporting tax payer’s money to Zimbabwe, including water, labour, embedded in the maize grain. I wouldn’t call this a success.

The other area we need to understand is the promotion of minor crops such as soybean, millet, sorghum, cassava, sunflower into cash crops. This role can not be undertaken by the government alone, but the involvement of the private sector. For example ,in the 1990s Unilever Malawi promoted sunflower for its oil production...

Another area where policy could play an important role is to improve the quality of agricultural information farmers have access to. Current sources of agricultural information are mostly limited to the packaging materials/labels on inputs. This is too brief for the farmers to understand and, in many cases; this information only provided planting details and fertilizer application rates. There is no recognized source of other equally important information such as pest and disease control, moisture and soil conservation management.

Policy could target this and work to provide consistent high quality agricultural information for farmers. This need not be entirely done by the government, however. Commercial input manufacturers such as Monsanto Malawi, Seed Co Malawi, and Pannar Seed Malawi should take a key role in providing this technical information beyond product labels... This could be done by seed and fertiliser supplying companies to conduct field days, agricultural fairs throughout the agricultural season.

Nyasa Times