Smallholder farmers urged to use Plant Catalyst to boost yield

United States (US)-based agro-product company, the Plant Catalyst, has urged smallholder farmers in Malawi to adopt and use Plant Catalyst to boost their yields.

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The company’s Malawi Sales Director, Henry Mwangomba, made the remarks on Wednesday during a field demonstration of Nabulenje Cooperative Farm at Mlonyeni Extension Planning Area in Mchinji.

He said the product has the capacity to boost farmer’s yield with reduced amount of granule fertilizer applied in the field.

According to him, the product reduces fertilizer usage by 25 to 35 percent while yield is increased to more than 30 percent, enhancing seed germination as well as good for environment.

Mwangomba challenged that with the rise of fertilizer prices on the market, the product is a game changer for a smallholder farmer to start using it.

He said the product is a nutrient absorption enhancer, which is there to help plants ability to absorb and utilize nutrients in the soil.

In Malawi, the company is working with Pixus Agriculture, Clinton Development Initiative (CDI), World Vision and other agro-dealer companies reaching to about 150,000 farmers across the country.

Mwangomba said Plant Catalyst is a  recognized product on the Malawi market as it has gone for trials for  four years with Agriculture Research Extension Services (ARET), Pixus Agriculture and JTI Malawi, while in other countries like Zambia they adopted the chemical seven years ago.

Nabulenje Cooperative Chairman, Vickious Mwale said they have used their cooperative farm as a demonstration for the product.

“We have witnessed how the product is working in our farm and there is a big difference with other farms where they did not apply,” he said.

Plant Catalyst can be applied to tobacco, maize, soya beans, beans, ground nuts and other Horticulture crops among others.