Export Development Fund (EDF), a financing institution for export business, expects the country to export 120 000 tonnes of kilombero rice in 2018 through the pre-season contracts that have offered to farmers after securing markets for the crop.
This development comes at a time rice growers are producing below the required demand, a situation they attribute to lack of viable markets for the commodity.

In an e-mailed response on Tuesday, EDF business development manager Stanley Saka said the target is to get as many commercial farmers as possible to benefit from the huge market for kilombero rice in Africa and beyond.He said EDF and its partners will explain the export market arrangements.

EDF recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mtalimanja Holdings and AHL Commodities Exchange (AHCX) to provide financing to farmers to grow rice.

“So far, the response from farmers is good and we have no worries over productivity as we have put in place production boosting mechanisms to ensure that all the commercial farmers produce rice twice a year while working with our partners.
“Kilombero rice farmers should look after the rice well as there is a ready market and we expect Malawi, through this programme to export 120 000 tonnes next year,” he said.
Already, Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA), the largest tobacco association with 120 000 members, which is diversifying to other value chains has hailed the move, but cautioned farmers to understand the contracts, especially when it comes to the price before signing.
But Saka has ensured farmers that all the contracts include prices and all willing farmers know the price before signing the contracts.
According to African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC), in the previous growing season, Malawi failed to meet the global rice demand despite having potential markets in Africa, Asia and Europe.
In an earlier interview, managing director of Mtalimanja Holdings Limited (MHL) David Kamchacha said Malawi has the potential to earn about K293 billion from rice as the crop is on high demand on the global market.

1. Commodities: Soy bean, sunflower, pigeon peas, cow peas, chick peas, groundnuts and sugar beans. Products from these commodities are also welcome.
2. Value added products: Cane furniture, wooden furniture products, textile products, honey products, horticultural products, animal skins and hides, cotton lint, leather products, precious stones and gemstones, chilies and spices, meat and poultry products.

Export Development Fund Ltd (EDF) and Mtalimanja Holdings Limited have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to engage in various interventions in commercial production of rice for the export markets. This agreement was reached following the realization that rice growers in the country are not fully empowered and integrated in global value chains resulting in them not benefiting from the value chain. The agreement is aimed at addressing several issues in the rice value chain, like quality and productivity, and is targeting the lakeshore rice growing region from Nkhatabay to Dedza. The immediate benefit to farmers in these areas is that they shall have a ready market for their paddy.

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Some economic commentators have supported the government's drive to champion a fast-tracked export development initiative through intensified agricultural production whose output is expected to start earning foreign exchange for the country within 12 months. Finance Minister Ken Lipenga has since urged the private sector to come up with detailed proposals on how the government can support export generation ventures.

Some economic commentators have supported the government's drive to champion a fast-tracked export development initiative through intensified agricultural production whose output is expected to start earning foreign exchange for the country within 12 months. Finance Minister Ken Lipenga has since urged the private sector to come up with detailed proposals on how the government can support export generation ventures.

Some economic commentators have supported the government's drive to champion a fast-tracked export development initiative through intensified agricultural production whose output is expected to start earning foreign exchange for the country within 12 months. Finance Minister Ken Lipenga has since urged the private sector to come up with detailed proposals on how the government can support export generation ventures. The technocrats says Malawi must utilise its available water and land resources to satisfy the ever increasing global food demand by massively producing rice, groundnuts, pigeon peas, soya and maize. Farmers Union of Malawi (Fum) Felix Jumbe said the government must re-organise the agricultural produce marketing system to specifically focus on consolidating forex earning generating from food crops and not only tobacco. "The demand for food will never go down across the world. For your own information, just 500,000 metric tonnes of rice can earn us US$400 million, which is what tobacco normally brings," said Jumbe.

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