Africa Fertiliser Summit on in Kenya: Kawale says Malawi geared to improve fertiliser usage
Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale says Malawi is geared to ensure an improvement in fertiliser usage and soil management in the next two years, for greater results in the agricultural sector.
Kawale was speaking today on the sidelines of the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit currently underway in Nairobi, Kenya.
He said through policies and programmes put in place, Malawi will see a 25 per cent jump in the usage of fertiliser as well as soil management.
Kawale said this will see the country achieve food and nutrition security and tremendous economic progress.
“Currently, the policies and programmes that we have put in place will help increase production of organic fertiliser which is cheaper than chemical fertiliser. Organic fertiliser improves soil health because it puts nutrients back into the soil,” he said.
The Summit, which has brought together all relevant stakeholders to highlight the crucial role of fertiliser and soil health in stimulating sustainable pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture, will agree on an African Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan that will deliver concrete recommendations to be taken by African leaders in the next 10 years.
According to Kawale, Malawi has a lot of success stories and programmes that it may not even take 10 years to ensure that the action plan is implemented.
African Union (AU) Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE), Josefa Sacko, said Malawi is doing well in fertiliser usage with 96 kilogrammes of fertiliser used per hectare compared to other countries which are at an average of 40 kilogrammes per hectare.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera is expected to attend the Heads of State and Government AFSH meeting scheduled for Thursday.
In June 2006, AU Heads of State and Government endorsed the Abuja Declaration on Fertiliser for the Africa Green Revolution, a continental strategy to reverse the worrying trend of poor productivity of the African soils.
The declaration focused on key targets required for agricultural growth, food security and rural development in Africa, with a focus on fertiliser.
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