Mutharika urges Lilongwe University of Agriculture graduates to become real farmers

The 608 graduating students from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) have been urged to become real farmers and bring innovations that would develop the agriculture sector.

Graduation ceremony o of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR)
President Mutharika confers a degree to a gruaduate
President Mutharika congratulates one of the graduating students
Cross section of the Luanar graduates
President Mutharika being briefed about the university
Cross section of the Luanar graduates

On Wednesday, President Peter Mutharika, who is Chancellor for LUANAR made the call when he awarded the students with certificates, diplomas and degrees during the university’s second congregation held in Lilongwe.

Mutharika said being an agro-based economy, Malawi needs people with relevant expertise to be actively involved in farming if the country is to develop.

As such, he urged the new graduates to be directly involved in farming by becoming farmers themselves rather than confining themselves in offices.

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

“Go to America or Australia, you will find educated people with degrees taking agriculture as a profession,” said Mutharika.

He added: “Let us recognize and promote the dignity of farming, let us change our mindset to recognize the prestige of being a farmer and be proud to take up farming as a profession. We do not train farmers to be in the office, but rather we must train farmers to be on the farm,” said Mutharika.

The President also asked the graduates to become innovative by using the knowledge and skills they have acquired and start their own businesses and create jobs for others.

He also urged them to have a purpose in life, saying each generation must discover its own mission and fulfill it.

According to the First Citizen, the mission of his generation was to liberate Malawi from colonial oppression and liberate Malawi from one party rule which was all achieved.

He said the current mission of his generation is to develop the country by transforming Malawi from being a predominantly consuming and importing country into a producing and exporting one.

To achieve this, Mutharika said Malawi has to become a productive, competitive and resilient nation in accordance with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III.

“Our first and most urgent priority is to improve our agriculture, water development and climate change management.

“The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources has a critical role to play in this agenda. This university has always endeavoured to produce relevant graduates with entrepreneurship skills for agricultural growth, food security, wealth creation and sustainable natural resources management,” said Mutharika.

He then assured Malawians of his government’s commitment in promoting education by establishing more public universities and constructing new infrastructure in all public universities.

Speaking earlier, Chairman of LUANAR University council, Professor James Seyani, said five years after the establishment of the university, it has recorded a high number of success stories.

These, he said, include increased number of students being enrolled, increasing infrastructure for the university and increasing the number of campuses, which he attributed to the enabling environment resulting from Mutharikas’ commitment in improving education standards.

Vice Chancellor for LUANAR, Professor George Kanyama Phiri, assured Malawians that the graduating students have been fully equipped with knowledge to fit into any working environment in and out of Malawi.

392 students graduated from Bunda Campus under the faculties of agriculture, development studies, food and human sciences, natural resources and post graduate studies.

216 students graduated with diplomas in agriculture and horticulture under the faculty of Natural Resources (NRC) from the NRC campus

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kaka ni dada
kaka ni dada
5 years ago

Kusowa chonena eti ! What arrangements have you made for the graduating students to acquire land, capital and agriculture equipment , when have you realised that farmers are trained in a university and how much support have you provided for the trained farmers. I think zimaterodi when one is sleeping on the job. Have you ever heard that we had educated farmers in Malawi owning estates, where are they today, what happened to their misfortunes, and why today the country depends on small holder farmers, 25 years without active commercial farming in the country yet you call it agro based… Read more »

Listen and Love
5 years ago

Mr. President Sir, we should be talking about large scale farming or huge commercial farming at highest level. And how do you expect a newly graduate manage to raise huge capital enough to establish a serious commercial farm without economic empowerment first? Phase out fertilizer subsidy program and create a loans fund to support these young agricultural geniuses increase production. If you do this, I shall believe you are A REALISTIC PERSON, AN ENGINEER OF REAL CHANGE in Malawi.

Chilungamo
Chilungamo
5 years ago

EXCELLENT observation INDEED!!! But just as we have agriculturists letting the nation down, the OTHER IRONY is that we have a cohort of the so-called top-notch lawyers & economists who are presiding over the GRAND LOOTING & PLUNDERING of the country’s meagre resources. They go behind the scenes conniving, destroying evidence, faking blatant lies as documents to redeem fellow tricksters from conviction in courts of law. In other words STEALING in broad daylight. No wonder this country despite having the BEST of well-trained professionals in this African sub-region the country remains the poorest. Of course we shouldn’t continue to wonder… Read more »

nagama
5 years ago

Kodi or anthu alimbikire kulima misika yake ili kuti, Mavendawa? ogwila ntchito kukhalabe ovutika odyerera ena….kumangotilanda zokolola zathu ………………. foolish!!

Young Farmer
5 years ago

Farmers are complaining & worried day and night due to absence of reliable & profitable markets for their farm produce. What will motivate fresh graduates to become “real” farmers Sir? We need reliable markets for our crops. Banning exports of farm produce willy-nilly is not helping matters either.

Agenda Setting Theory
Agenda Setting Theory
5 years ago

Bunda has been there for many years but its impact can not be felt on Malawian Agriculture.. I don’t know what so of knowledge to they gain?

#Malawi@Crossroads
#Malawi@Crossroads
5 years ago

A bwana you have hit a sweet spot. Supporting emerging young graduate farmers is the sure and fast way of taking Malawi economy forward. We have probably around 1,200 students (graduating in the last 5 years) from LUANAR with much needed skills in agriculture/modern farming. Of the 1,200 graduates probably 500 are natural entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, Malawi financial system is so rigid when it comes extending finance to entrepreneurs and therefore these graduate entrepreneurs have no way of raising capital. Can you just imagine if these 500 young entrepreneurs are given access to capital, are supported by govt (by arranging skill-transfer… Read more »

Sugzo
Sugzo
5 years ago

Should Chilima always follow the president? Is it not ironic that this is the guy who boasted that civil servants should not patronize Alms meeting unless the function involves them. Why then should he follow SPM even where it’s obvious that his presence does not add any value. What reform? My foot.

Comrade
Comrade
5 years ago

Real farmers??? And who are the fake farmers Sir???

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