FARMERS URGED TO GROW MORE TUBER CROPS

By Nancy Malata

One of the country’s seed multiplication companies MUSECO says food diversification is a way to adapt for food security when faced with effects of climate change and challenges brought forward by the corona virus pandemic.

This was said on Wednesday when the company donated over 30 thousand cassava and sweet potato stems to smallholder farmers in the area of traditional authority Chadza in Lilongwe.

In an interview with Timveni  Museco’s board chairperson Martin Isiyagi said the crops and cassava planting materials will help farmers recover from the adverse effects of Covid-19, at the same time improving food sustenance in their families.

Isiyagi however bemoaned that despite the tuber crops being resilient to climate change and having an urge on nutritional value, most seed companies in the country have not given their attention to production of seeds for the crops.

While thanking the company for assisting local farmers with the cassava stems, minister of agriculture Lobin Lowe who was the guest of honour said it is high time the country embraced food diversification to the fullest.

He also urged farmers to take care of the crops by following best agricultural practices in order to benefit more smallholder farmers in the area through sharing of the seeds.