Agriculture minister says census report key to boosting farm production

Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Roza Fatch Mbilizi says the National Agriculture Census report will help Malawi improve crop production and guide policy decisions in the agriculture sector.

Mbilizi made the remarks on Monday in Lilongwe during the launch of the report at Bingu International Convention Centre.

“The report will help guide agricultural policy implementation and direction as we work towards strengthening food security in the country,” said Mbilizi.

Mbilizi said the report has come at an important time as the country has gone about 20 years without updated comprehensive agricultural census data.

She said the findings reveal a large gap between irrigation farming and crop production.

According to Mbilizi, irrigation accounts for about 2.2 percent while crop production accounts for 97.9 percent of agricultural activities.

Mbilizi said the situation calls for greater investment in irrigation and diversification in agricultural production.

She urged farmers and stakeholders to promote value chains by growing other crops such as soya beans and groundnuts alongside maize.

Commissioner of Statistics Shelton Kanyanda said the census established that about 4.1 million smallholder farmers are cultivating approximately 3.5 hectares of land across the country.

Kanyanda said about 97 per cent of these farmers are involved in crop production while half also engage in other agricultural activities including irrigation.

He added that irrigation farming accounts for only 2.2 per cent of the total land used during the agricultural season.

According to Kanyanda, the Southern Region accounts for 1.2 per cent of irrigation activities followed by the Central Region with 0.8 per cent and the Northern Region with 0.3 per cent.

Kanyanda said watering cans remain the most common irrigation method, accounting for about 68 per cent.

World Bank Country Manager Firas Raad commended the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Statistics Office for conducting the census.

Raad said the report will help close critical data gaps in the agriculture sector as the last census was conducted in 2006.

He said the data will support research and planning aimed at improving food production and strengthening food security in the country.