Macadamia Training Workshop
Macadamia training for farmers under the MegaFarms Project geared towards maintaining quality in the macadamia industry
In a significant move towards achieving the Malawi Vision 2063 pillar of Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization, the Ministry of Agriculture launched the Presidential Flagship Private Sector MegaFarms Project.
To support this vision, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Mega Farm Unit, in collaboration with the Macadamia Association of Malawi, organized a special Macadamia Training Workshop at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) on October 11th and 12th, 2024. The workshop commenced with welcoming remarks from Dr. Alfred Mwenifumbo, who provided an overview of MegaFarms' goal for the macadamia sector.
Dr. Mwenifumbo emphasized the need for Malawi to treat agriculture as a business and increase national productivity per hectare to equal that of advanced agricultural economies.
Dr. Mwenifumbo highlighted the decline of Malawi’s once vibrant estate sector and the necessity of its revitalization. He pointed out that macadamia farming is a skill-intensive sector, and new farmers from MegaFarms will be mandated to start macadamia farming with exactly 5 hectares of farmland. He remarked that new growers will receive support from established Anchor Estates, which will provide extension services and act as off-takers under a tri-partite contract between the farmer, MegaFarms, and the Anchor Estate. Dr. Mwenifumbo assured that suitable farmers selected from the training workshop would receive loans for irrigation and seedlings.
Mr. Henry Mdyetseni also welcomed the participants on behalf of the association, and he expressed gratitude to the MegaFarms team and commended them for their efforts in advancing the macadamia sector in Malawi.
During the workshop, participants received comprehensive training on agronomy, from orchard establishment to management of mature orchards. The training sessions were complemented by panel discussions featuring input providers, seedling providers, irrigation companies, and equipment providers.
Additionally, Mrs. Tiyanjane Mwanyongo, the Factory Manager for Sable Farming Company, facilitated a training session on macadamia market requirements which acquainted the farmers with the consequences of poor-quality samples. Finally, the workshop concluded with in-depth presentations on financing facilities offered by NBS Bank and the Malawi Agricultural and Industrial Investment Corporation (MAIIC).
The meeting was made possible through different sources of financing. A special word of gratitude goes to Malawi Value Chains projects that was a major financing partner.
