To enhance Malawian farmers’ growth and productivity, Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched the Malawi Entrepreneur Agricultural Mechanisation initiative.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to ensure sustainable tobacco growth, empower Malawian farmers, and foster economic growth in the region.
Speaking with reporters, the Vice President for Global Technical Operations at PMI, Pedro Brago, said that the innovative circular loan structure ensures sustainability by reinvesting principal repayments into acquiring additional machinery for the next beneficiary, thereby supporting a continuous growth cycle for local businesses.
Brago added that they have always been committed to investing in Malawi’s agricultural sector and supporting the prosperity of the Malawians so that the people can overcome the barriers to mechanization faced by smallholder farmers, ultimately enhancing productivity and livelihoods to ensure sustainable tobacco growth in the region.
In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, said that Malawi’s agricultural economy, comprising of smallholder, semi-commercial, and commercial growers, relied on tobacco as a primary export commodity, contributing significantly to the country’s GDP.
He commended PMI for the support and pledged to reach out to every individual who has potential, saying as a ministry, they recognize the importance of mechanization in enhancing crop diversification and agricultural productivity.
He added that the program will address the need for machinery access among smallholder farmers, thereby driving inclusive and sustainable growth in the sector.
The initiative, funded by PMI and implemented by Pyxus, provides seed capital for purchasing 23 tractors and other farming implements and will be owned by local entrepreneurs upon loan repayment.
President Lazarus Chakwera who was the guest of honor, endorsed the launch on Thursday at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
PMI is a leading international tobacco company, actively delivering a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sectors.
