People harvest maize in a field in Blantyre, Malawi, on April 5, 2021. As the 2020-2021 maize growing season is coming to an end in most parts of Malawi, agriculture experts have advised farmers to take good care of the crop harvest in order to sustain themselves with food and revenue throughout the year. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)
BLANTYRE, Malawi, April 30 (Xinhua) -- As the 2020-2021 maize growing season is coming to an end in most parts of Malawi, agriculture experts have advised farmers to take good care of the crop harvest in order to sustain themselves with food and revenue throughout the year.
In an interview with Xinhua, Program Manager for Blantyre Agricultural Development Division (ADD), Eric Haraman said that there is a need for farmers across the country to follow recommended harvesting, storage and marketing guidelines provided by the government to ensure that they are food-secure all year round.
"Food shortage has been a challenge in most households for the past years, this has been so because of many factors including poor management of the harvest, poor food budgeting just to mention but a few," Haraman said.
"With that background, this year, farmers need to make sure that they harvest their food on time to make sure that the product is not damaged by pests and parasites and they should also make sure that they make better food budgeting from the harvest in order to keep enough for the months ahead," he said.
On the other hand, Haraman emphasized a need for commercial farmers to consider selling their maize to trusted dealers in order to make tangible profits. "Making hasty decisions in selling newly harvested maize can result in making losses, therefore farmers must have a clear insight whenever they are making a marketing decision."
According to the Malawi Food Security Outlook of February to September 2021 by the Famine Early Warning System Network, Malawi is expected to have an above-average crop production in the season due to good rainfall and increased access to the government's Affordable Inputs Program.
Meanwhile, most farmers in Malawi are in the process of harvesting and drying their maize. Elick Lijali, a farmer in Blantyre said that he is looking forward to harvesting more bags of maize this year for his family.
"During the first days of this year's maize growing season, I was afraid I am going to have a tough year in my farming due to COVID-19 preventive restrictions. On contrary, I have managed to take care of my maize field all year round and the yields are looking promising," Lijali said.
"For now, I am doing anything possible to make sure that my maize harvest is dry and safe for storage," he said. Enditem
