Malawians think farming is for the uneducated – Mutharika

President Peter Mutharika has blasted educated Malawians saying they think farming is only for people who cannot get office jobs.

Mutharika made the remarks during the third congregation of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) at Bingu International Convention Centre in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.

According to Mutharika, most educated Malawians have negative perception about agriculture.

“One of the problems we have in this country is that most people think farming is not for educated people. We think farming is for those who cannot get jobs in office. This is a completely wrong mindset,” Mutharika said.

He then urged the Luanar graduates to be agents for change by being responsible through hard work and patriotism.

“We expect you to have a well -founded sense of purpose of life, and live purposefully. Your country expects you to be patriotic and hard working. These should be the principles of every Malawian.

“The ultimate goal of university education is not to earn a degree. The ultimate goal of university education is to attain the wisdom of life; a fine mind; and the ability to find solutions to questions that matter in your personal life and your society,” Mutharika said.

The Malawi head of state told the graduates that they must not get satisfied with their degrees but that should be the beginning their life.

“Your degree is not your destination yet. It is necessary step in the journey of life.” He added.

Malawi24 caught up with one graduate Hawa Banda who studied Bachelor of Animal Science who said that she is ready to transform what she learnt in class into practice.

“Students mostly concentrate on theory and practice less. But I would assure Malawians that my case is different. Our class had always had an upper hand because we’ve had a separate course called ‘farm attachment’ where we’ve had hands on work in the field.”

“Apart from that, I have had a wide experience through my industrial attachment periods during my 2nd and 3rd year of study at Katete daily farm and Heifer international Malawi respectively. I believe that I am capable enough to instil to farmers the best knowledge that I have learnt practically,” Banda told Malawi24.

She added that she has intentions to indulge in agribusiness since she has skills in the field. According to Banda, she has already begun rearing chickens.

“I want to establish my own livestock enterprise. I am planning to have a poultry farm in few years, I know it will be possible because I have already built a foundation of it. I am already rearing local chickens that is profit oriented.

“I am looking forward to find a job or a piece work shortly for the purpose of accumulating a start-up capital for my enterprise and to boost up what I have already started. I have always been motivated by some people who are doing extremely well financially through livestock farming. The best part is that I have studied these things, I can be my own manager and employ others as well,” Banda told Malawi24.

Luanar was delinked from University of Malawi in 2012 and currently it has two major campuses namely Bunda and Natural Resources College (NRC).