Farmers Opt For Organic Fertilizers
BY DRAXON MALOYA
In an effort to maximize nutritious food production at both; household and commercial levels most farmers under the Mzuzu Agriculture Development Division (ADD) who have resorted to use organic fertilizer are expecting bumper yields this year if their areas continue receiving good rains.
The use of organic fertilizer is an alternative to chemical fertilizers being sold even under Malawi government Affordable Input Programme (AIP) which has met numerous logistical challenges threatening this year’s national food production which according to the recent Climate Change IPCC figures on food insecurity report published by Save the Children Country Director’s office in Malawi, Kim Koch, a third of the country’s population (5.4 million) out of 16.6 million people is on the brink of nutrition challenges emanating from extreme hunger due to poverty and recurrent shocks to the food systems.
Speaking during a field visit to farmers at Bwengu, Bolero, Chikwawa and Luzi in under Rumphi District Agriculture Extension Planning Areas (EPA) most farmers says they will continue using locally available Super Yield Organic fertilizers in their maize, tobacco, vegetables and tomato fields as another way of improving soil texture in order to evade perennial hunger.
One of the lead farmers, a 73 year old John Chimdike Gondwe of Chandwila Village under Traditional Authority Chikulamaye in Rumphi praised the ADD field supervisors for recommending the use of organic fertilizers which he said has proved to be successful even in sloppy areas in which all along the crops were weathering.
“The crop is very promising this year even in sloppy areas where all along plants were weathering, the application of Super Yield Organic fertilizer has increased fertility of the soil which also act as an effective energy source of soil microbes which in turn improve soil structure and crop growth,” Nyirongo said.
Gondwe further stated that if his household could wait for the chemical fertilizers being sold through AIP then his family would have been among the first cueing for this year’s free government food distribution after failing to purchase cheap fertilizers despite receiving AIP coupons.
Francis Kachale, an Extension Planning Areas Agriculture officer commended the use of organic fertilizers which he said has numerous advantages for soil treatment in food production
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In his remarks, the Chairperson for Kammaji Investment, manufacturers of the Super Yield Organic fertilizers, Wisdom Ngwira requested government to consider empowering organic fertilizer manufacturers whom he said plays a pivotal role in the restoration of soil fertility.
“Chemical fertilizers have polluted our soil to a point of rendering it almost potent, let the authorities consider empowering organic fertilizer manufacturers which is the best way of improving soil fertility.
“The use of organic fertilizers which naturally have mineral sources that contain moderate amount of plant essential nutrients are capable of mitigating problems associated with synthetic fertilizers and gradually release nutrients into the soil solution and maintain nutrient balance for healthy growth of crop plants,” Ngwira said.
He conclusively stated that the use of organic fertilizers reduces the externalization of the country’s scarce forex apart from promoting job creation conquering with the recent UNICEF Country Director’s report stating that when families go hungry it is often children who bear the brunt, through being pulled out of school to work and support their families while also falling victim to early marriages.
