By Andrew Mkonda
Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North Constituency Monica Chang’anamuno has expressed excitement with farmers in her area who have started taking agriculture as a business.
Chang’anamuno, who is also Minister of Defense, was speaking on Friday, at Ukwe Extension Planning Area (EPA) in the area of Traditional Authority Khongoni during agriculture field day.
“I am extremely happy to see farmers working in cooperatives and embracing new agricultural technologies in order to have bumper yield for food and income. This is quite encouraging,” she said.
Chang’anamuno said what the farmers are doing is in line with the government’s vision of having a self-reliant country by 2063.
She then urged some farmers who have not yet joined cooperatives to join, so that they too find benefits in their agricultural activities.
Director of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources for Lilongwe district council, Ezra Mbendela, said it is encouraging that agriculture has started benefiting farmers in rural areas because they are using new agricultural technologies that are suitable in times of climate change.
“Times have changed because of Climate change and farmers now should start cultivating in a different way. So by bringing in new farming method, we want farmers to start managing soil, water and increase productivity,” he said.
Mbendela further said apart from increasing crop productivity, the district is also trying to promote dairy production because this is one of the highest paying enterprise among the livestock class in the district.
Speaking on behalf of other farmers, Secretary for Kapheni Cooperative, Rapheal Chiyenda, said they are geared to increase productivity so that they find more profits through different crops they cultivate.
“We have already acquired a tractor and 6 tone lorry, this shows that we are set for some big agricultural activities in this area. Very soon we would like to have our own machine for processing our farm produce and adding value,” he said.
The field day was conducted under the theme: “Transforming the agriculture sector through irrigation, integrated catchment conservation and folder preservation for improved food security and economic prosperity.”
