Goshen farms proprietor Shepherd Bushiri and Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale on Thursday urged partnerships between government and private commercial farmers to power commercialisation and mechanisation of the agricultural sector.

Speaking at Goshen Farms in Mchinji, where Kawale went to appreciate the work the farm is doing to mechanise and promote irrigation, Bushiri said private commercial farms will have to tap into the ministry’s knowledge and expertise to modernise its farms.

He said: “It is good that the minister is here. We want to help develop the country’s agriculture sector by mechanising our farms and promoting irrigation. But to do that, we will need to tap into the ministry’s expertise and know-how.”

The renowned evangelist and philanthropist plans to promote irrigation at the 1 000-hectare farm, of which 300 hectares is operational and was used to grow maize in the 2023/24 season.

Kawale (R) gestures as he tours the farm with Bushiri (C)

Kawale said government will liaise with commercial farmers such as Bushiri to explore changes in policy and regulation that will need to be implemented to support initiatives designed to revamp the agriculture sector.

He said: “If we adopt the right policy and regulations, we can create an environment where farmers can have multiple harvests in one growing season.”

The Malawi government set agriculture commercialisation and productivity as one of the key pillars of the Malawi 2063, the country’s main growth and development blueprint.

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