Government says large scale wheat production on cards

Importation of wheat has been grossly affected by the war in Ukraine as Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, the world’s largest wheat producer, thereby pushing prices of bread up.

Malawi has also experienced escalating bread of prices and bread producers say this is because of the war in Ukraine.

But as President Chakwera was today visiting livestock farmers in Rumphi as part of the crop inspection tour, farmers told him that they used to grow wheat in the district as well but abandoned the wheat farming due to lack of markets.

Principal secretary in the ministry of Agriculture Sandram Maweru said the Government wants to engage the wheat growers to start growing wheat again.

“The wheat growers stopped growing wheat because Bakressa stopped buying from them. They claimed their wheat was not good,” said Maweru.

He said the government is now finding out what went wrong exactly.

Maweru said Rumphi was producing good wheat and was upbeat that the district can grow enough for local consumption.

Chakwera visited farmers cattle and goat farmers who pass on the animals from one farmer to another in a program the government started in 2014.

Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe said close to 200 cattle are in circulation in the district through the program.