Government has supported smallholder farmers at Ukanga Irrigation Scheme in Senior Chief Mwirang’ombe in Karonga District with farm inputs to enable them grow crops during the winter.

In an interview on Tuesday, Karonga Irrigation Services division chief irrigation office John Bvutula said the gesture was timely as the area was hit by prolonged dry spells that prevented farmers from harvesting in the 2022/23 growing season.

He said: “We have just rehabilitated the scheme’s head works damaged in 2020. This means for the past two years, farmers did not use the scheme in irrigation farming. To make matters worse, there was drought in the area which affected their crops.

Bvutula (L) hands over seeds to Msiska (R)

“So, the one tonne of maize seeds and 10 tonnes of fertiliser will be used for 40 hectares.”

 In an interview, Ukanga Irrigation Scheme water user’s association chairperson Chipunguzga Msiska commended government for the donation.

“The rehabilitation of the scheme’s head works and the canals has motivated us to embark on winter cropping to address the food deficit in our homes created by the prolonged dry spells in 2022,” he said.

A farmer, Chapasi Mbose said the rehabilitation of the scheme and the donation of farm inputs will enable them to have food.

“We are pleased that government has revived our hopes through the rehabilitation of the scheme,” she said.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development and Malawi Government have jointly funded the rehabilitation of the scheme as part of Programme for Rural Irrigation Development project

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