Industry minister Kachale justifies visit to bakery

Industry minister Roy Kachale has taken up on Facebook to justify his recent visit to a bakery in Blantyre, saying major industries started out as Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)  before developing into major industries.

Kachale has received stinging criticism on social media platforms for using tax payer money to visit family businesses during his familiarization tour.

The minister said his ministry has a fully-fledged directorate of SMEs and Cooperatives, saying this is why he visited Tehila bakery in Blantyre.

“The reason we wanted to have a chat with the owner is that we find that her model of doing business has the potential to save forex considering that all the wheat flour that we use is imported and also to see how she is able to manage 1000 or so farmers that she has maintained as her suppliers of sweet potatoes,” he says.

He also says he visited Illovo company in order to find out how the ministry could come in as mediators on the matter between the company and the Sugar Growers Association of Malawi which he said if left unattended to has potential to disturb the sugar industry in the country.