The National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM) said is set to embark on sensitizing farmers with crop storage messages citing crucial in ensuring crop quality sustainability, disease protection and human health.
The NASFAM Innovation and Productivity Center Manager, Kasungu branch Blame Mkwala said agricultural harvests encounter several storage facility challenges which among others lead to devaluation of crops’ quality resulting into low prices at the market.
“Each growing season farmers produce high quality yields but the main setback is care rendered to it in storage facilities. Crops become highly susceptible to different diseases when stored at unsafe place which also induce some diseases in human body after consuming them,” Mkwala said.
Mkwala said the campaign will help to timely prepare farmers to organize themselves before another growing season start. “We want farmers to start preparing these storage facilities in time because most of them start constructing storage facilities when harvests already arrive at their homes which give room for diseases to get into their harvests,” he said.
In her remarks, a lead farmer from Chankhozi village, Loveness Mwale applauded the development saying will be an eye opener to farmers to ensuring that crops are protected from pests and diseases.
“Farmers will have a better knowledge on how important it is to prepare crop storage facilities in time. This will also help farmers realize high proceeds after selling since will be of high quality and without diseases which shall create high demand for crops on the market,” Mwale said.
However, sensitization will among others urge farmers to embrace new farming methodologies if they are reap bountifully and deal with climate change challenges.
