Malawi’s only independent presidential candidate, Milward Tobias, has asked Muslims and all Malawians to take advantage of the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations to reflect about the need to preach the message of peace and unity as the country prepares for the September 16 General Elections.

Tobias said the fasting has fundamental teachings not only to strengthen spiritual faith and bring the faithful closer to Allah, but also to remind people about the need to unite as a society.

He made the remarks in a statement issued to join Muslims in Malawi in celebrating this year’s end of Ramadan.

“Let us love one another and share the pain and suffering of the less privileged. It brings brothers and sisters together and teaches us of the importance of community and kindness. It is a time of contemplation, detachment of oneself from worldly pleasures and self-control. These are teachings that if we all could practise, the world would be a better place for everyone. Ramadhan therefore prepares us both spiritually and socially,” reads the statement.

Commenting on concerns that Malawi risks facing another serious food crisis in light of the drought that has hit some parts of the country, Tobias disclosed that his government will transform agriculture to permanently address food insecurity, improve people’s living standards, reduce income inequality, catalyze industrialization and create job opportunities.

He said his government will work hard towards mechanizing the sector, building farmers’ resilience to effects of climate change, and commercialize it so that it becomes attractive to all generations, including the youth.

“In light of effects of climate change, your next government will aim to seek a situation in which even if the country can receive rain for only two weeks in a year, there must be enough water stored to irrigate crops until they mature. Hence, organizing smallholder farmers into cooperatives and supporting them with water harvesting technology and irrigation equipment will be core to achieving permanent food security. Agriculture will be integrated to be an all year round activity. Investment will be made to upscale livestock and fisheries farming,” he said.

Below is the rest of his manifesto on agriculture:

Agriculture is the backbone of Malawi economy. Agriculture sector comprises i) crop and livestock production, ii) forestry and logging and iii) fishing and aquaculture. The 2018 Population and Housing Census report indicated that out of 5,389,463 people actively employed, 3,921,887 representing 72.7 per cent were employed in the agriculture sector (National Statistics Office, 2018 Population and Housing Census report).

The 2019/2020 Integrated Household Survey reported that 84.7 per cent of the total population and 92.8 per cent of the rural population were involved in agriculture activities in the 2018/2019 agricultural season.

Despite employing the largest share of total employment (72.7%), its contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a disproportionate 22.0 per cent (Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, 2024 Annual Economic Report). This is a crisis! It is evidence of gross under employment, weak value chains and low produce prices.

It confirms the high poverty estimated at 50.7 per cent and ultra-poverty at 20.5 per cent (National Statistics Office, Malawi Poverty Report 2020). Comparably, the services sector which employs 19 per cent of all actively employed people contributes 56.1 per cent to GDP. The scenario where more employment is in a less rewarding sector and less employment is in more rewarding sectors explains the high income inequality with a gini coefficient of 0.379 (National Statistics Office, Malawi Poverty Report 2020).

In developed economies such as England, United States of America, Japan and others, agricultural revolution preceded industrial revolution and played a catalytic role to industrialization (Dethier J.J and Effenberger A, 2011). Agricultural productivity and commercialization is one of the pillars in Malawi 2063 which your next government will implement.

Key challenges

Currently, agriculture is predominantly subsistence, rain-fed, not mechanized and highly vulnerable to shocks including natural disasters, market uncertainties and price fluctuations. Although the sector has benefitted from farm input subsidies, limited investments in other areas within (e.g research and technology, irrigation, extension services etc) and outside (e.g energy, ICT infrastructure, transport infrastructure) the sector have undermined achievement of expected outcomes from the investment. Low produce prices in the sector and limited mechanization have made it less attractive for the youth to venture into agriculture as a career of choice. However, lately, there is notable growing interest among the youth and well-resourced individuals, to invest in farming.

Policy objectives

Ø To achieve sustainable food systems;

Ø To increase agricultural exports;

Ø To anchor agro processing and other industries through provision of raw materials;

Ø To anchor macroeconomic environment through price stabilization;

Ø To make Malawi a food basket for the Southern Africa region.

Strategies

Ø The strategies are categorized based on the component. However, some strategies are cross cutting among all components.

Cross-cutting strategies

Ø Wholly implement Mega Farms concept in which there is anchor producer who is also processor and smallholder farmers are organized in cooperatives and supported to produce and sell to the anchor producer hence market certainty and price predictability are guaranteed;

Ø Create value chains of existing and new agriculture produce and products;

Ø Promote relevant research, technology and innovation as well as farmers’ absorption;

Ø Enhance institutional coordination among Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Industrialization, Tourism and Trade; and Malawi Investment and Trade Center;

Ø Revamp agriculture extension services;

Ø Upscale insurance scheme for targeted crops, livestock and aquaculture;

Ø Facilitate access to affordable finance for agriculture investment;

Ø Carry out institutional reforms. For example, review the roles of Agricultural Development Divisions in the context of decentralization;

Ø Make farming integrated, an all-year round activity to address the problem of under employment

Crop development

Ø Rehabilitate existing irrigation schemes;

Ø Promote private sector investment in large scale irrigation by reducing sunk costs. Government to invest in energy and bulk water conveyance so that private sector only pays utilization costs;

Ø Scale up water harvesting to support irrigation when rainy season ends;

Ø Mechanize farming through Mega Farms, Anchor Farms and farmers’ cooperatives;

Ø Promote large-scale flower farming, handling, storage and transportation;

Ø Align farm input subsidy program to crops linked to Mega Farms and Anchor Farms;

Ø Promote diversification moving towards high value crops e.g cannabis, flowers etc;

Ø Sustain reforms at ADMARC and establish structured markets for other crops

Livestock development

Ø Facilitate establishment of tannery and meat processing factories;

Ø Facilitate establishment of dairy processing industries to strengthen markets for dairy farmers;

Ø Revamp dip-tank system to promote animal health;

Ø Promote farmers’ acquisition of hybrid livestock breeds

Aquaculture and fishing

Ø Establish large-scale aquaculture, fish landing, handling and value addition;

Ø Support small-scale fish farmers’ cooperatives with storage facilities, market access and transport facilities;

Ø Facilitate market access for export of fish and fish products.

Forestry and logging

Ø Promote community led forest management by among others making forest management one of performance measures for chiefs’ honorarium;

Ø Promote a blend of trees for timber, wood energy and construction and those for fruits to achieve food and nutrition security objective;

Ø Align existing programs such as social cash transfer, public works, food for work etc to tree planting and management at household level.

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