By Synd Kalimbuka
One Acre Fund (OAF) has provided farm inputs on loan to 62, 353 farmers and the organisation expects to spend K4 billion on farm inputs this year.
Each farmer only contributes K5, 000 before collection of farm inputs and pays the rest of money in 10 months.
The inputs which farmers receive include fertilizer as well as maize, groundnuts and beans seeds.
Country Director for the organisation Yash Gharat said the organization complements government efforts to alleviate hunger in the country through provision of farm inputs to local farmers on loan.
He said this at Mwandama in Zomba during the engagement with stakeholders to showcase farm inputs meant for farmers in the district for loans.
“We want to expand to reach more farmers in all the 6 districts the project is implemented as one way to compliment government efforts to achieve 2063 agenda,” said Gharat.
He also encouraged farmers to work hard to benefit a lot from the inputs they get on loan so that the repayment of the loans is made simple.
In his remarks, Director of Planning and Development for Zomba district council Walter Chikuni applauded the initiative by One Acre Fund for the provision of inputs saying one of the council’s priorities is ensuring food security in the district.
“Zomba district is satisfied with what One Acre Fund is doing in the district because it is complementing our effort in ensuring that people in the district are food secured,” said Chikuni.
Chikuni further promised to continue providing extension services to the farmers working with the organisation in terms of advisory services and loan repayment.
Senior Chief Mlumbe called on other organisations in the country to emulate good example of One Acre Fund to support households with farm inputs on loan to address hunger in Malawi.
He, however, expressed concern over the increased price of fertilizer saying this will affect farmers during loan repayment.
