Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, has encouraged farmers in the country to fully embrace irrigation farming and not solely depend on rain-fed agriculture.
Kawale made the sentiments Tuesday at Chinkhumbe Primary School in Dedza during the 2025 National Irrigation Season and Catchment Conservation Campaign launch.
He said government is geared to empower farmers to increase production by supporting them with soft loans for farm inputs adding that that K99 billion has been set aside to support farmers through the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF), Mega farms and irrigation farming.
“We are implementing all these programmes in order to support farmers and to end hunger. We encourage farmers to stop planting traditional seeds but rather hybrid ones so as to harvest bumper yields,” he said.
He added that his ministry is currently making sure that farmers are accessing and planting drought resilient crops as one way of adapting to climate change.
“As government, all what we need is changing from subsistence to commercial farming. Tchanga irrigation scheme is, therefore, very important as people are still facing hunger here in Mtakataka,” he said.
NEEF Chief Executive Officer, Humphreys Mdyetseni, said the essence of the programme is to make sure that people are no longer depending on rain-fed agriculture.
“We are making sure that in five years’ time, Malawi should transform in terms of farming, and people should migrate to using machines when farming. We would like to see farmers migrating from rain fed agriculture to irrigation,” said Mdyetseni.
Traditional Authority Kachindamoto commended the support that government is providing to her subjects saying it is only through irrigation farming that people can have enough food.
“Our area continues to experience dry spells unlike other parts of Dedza. This is why government’s support under NEEF is of great importance,” she said.
Tchanga Irrigation Scheme President, Salome Chinkeka, commended government for its efforts in ensuring that hunger is alleviated.
“We ask government to construct us a dam that will enhance our irrigation farming. Already we have planted beans and maize in our various fields here.” said Chinkeka.
