Malawi, September 2024

Malawi Government launches the National Rice Development Strategy

The government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has launched the National Rice Development Strategy 2 (NRDS 2) at an event that took place at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe on 19th September 2024.

In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Sam Kawale reiterated government’s commitment to promoting rice which has the potential to contribute to the national food security, economic growth, and development of the country. Government commits to creating a conducive environment for the rice sector to flourish from production to marketing; said Kawale. The Minister noted with concern that despite the release of other equally good aromatic and high-yielding varieties by the Department of Agricultural Research, they remain unexploited. He, therefore, urged all stakeholders in the rice subsector to take up the challenge of promoting these varieties. On resilience, the minister noted that Malawi depends on rainfed rice cultivation which put production at risks due to climate change. He therefore indicated that government will strive to make significant investments in irrigation infrastructure through donor funded projects and government funded programs. The minister also recognized the importance of having linkages with other relevant ministries such as Trade and Industry, Water Resources, Natural Resources and Transport. He concluded by reminding all stakeholders that the launch of the strategy is not an end game rather a tool to achieving its goals.

JICA’s Chief Representative, Kazuhiro Tambara said rice contributes to food security since it supplements maize consumption. There has been a change in the consumption trends over the years as people especially in urban areas eat rice on daily basis. He also noted that rice production helps in improving the livelihoods of players in the entire rice value chain such as farmers and off-takers. He went on and indicated that rice production has the potential of contributing to the national economy by generating foreign currency. “There is high demand for our aromatic local varieties such as Kilombero and Faya within SADC region in countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. Malawi needs to make good use of this opportunity and increase production so that we can meet the international market demands”; said Tambara. The Chief Representative called for measures to stop smuggling of rice to the neighboring countries which has over the years prevented Malawi from earning the much-needed forex. He urged all the stakeholders in the rice value chain to make good use of the strategy when they are coming up with their programs since the strategy has done a thorough analysis of the issues across the rice value chain in Malawi.

(The above article and photos provided by JICA Malawi office)