By Jones Gadama
In a compelling and visionary manifesto unveiled for 2025, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has laid out a comprehensive blueprint designed to revolutionize Malawi’s agricultural sector.
This manifesto, rich in actionable strategies and ambitious targets, demonstrates a profound commitment to empowering farmers across all scales—from smallholders to large estates—and securing the nation’s food sovereignty.
With bold reforms, innovative financial mechanisms, and a keen focus on modern technology, the DPP is poised to ignite a new era of agricultural prosperity in Malawi.
Revitalizing Access to Crop Production Inputs
At the heart of the manifesto is a determined effort to ensure timely access to improved, quality, and affordable crop production inputs. This initiative targets all farmer categories, including smallholder, medium, and large estates.
The DPP intends to tackle supply chain logistical challenges head-on, aiming to reduce the cost of farm inputs significantly.
By developing a fertilizer production plant domestically, the party will not only reduce dependence on imports but also stimulate local industrial growth, creating jobs and boosting the economy.
Moreover, the revival and reformation of the Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme (FISP) is a masterstroke that will directly benefit poor smallholder maize farmers.
The programme’s focus on farmers with land, ability to farm, and membership in well-organized and trained clubs ensures that resources are efficiently allocated to those most in need and capable of maximizing productivity.
Innovative Financial Support for Farmers
Recognizing that access to finance is a critical barrier for many farmers, the DPP manifesto proposes establishing a farm credit financing facility.
This facility will be designed to serve cooperatives, medium/emerging farmers, and large estate farmers, managed by commercial banks.
This financial lifeline is expected to unlock much-needed capital for investment in farm inputs, mechanization, and infrastructure, thereby enhancing productivity and profitability.
The manifesto also promises to promote the availability of affordable seeds and planting materials, a move that will increase crop diversity and resilience.
By providing fiscal incentives for the production of high-value non-traditional crops such as industrial hemp, flowers, horticulture, rice, wheat, legumes, cotton, macadamia, and pulses, the DPP is diversifying Malawi’s agricultural portfolio, opening doors to lucrative markets and export opportunities under the National Export Strategy II (NES II).
Transforming Irrigation and Industrial Farming
To reduce Malawi’s heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, the manifesto prioritizes the promotion of irrigation farming.
This includes providing financial instruments such as matching grants and preferential financing for smallholder farmers, as well as credit facilities for medium and large estates.
The ambitious target to increase land under irrigation from 116,000 hectares in 2025 to 147,000 hectares by 2030 is a clear indication of the party’s commitment to climate resilience and food security.
Additionally, the establishment of two government-owned model industrial farms, each spanning 12,500 hectares, reflects the DPP’s forward-looking approach.
These farms will allocate 16,000 hectares for food security crops and 9,000 hectares for high-value plantations, setting a standard for large-scale, efficient agricultural production.
Coupled with efforts to attract private investments into 60,000 hectares of industrial farms by 2030, Malawi’s agricultural landscape is set for a dramatic transformation.
Revamping Agricultural Marketing and Commodity Management
The manifesto also addresses critical gaps in agricultural marketing and commodity management.
The proposed reform of the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) into a fully functional commercial entity with local and international market linkages is a vital step toward creating a robust value chain.
This move is expected to enhance market access, stabilize prices, and ensure fair returns for farmers.
Complementing this is the revitalization of the Commodity Exchange, which will facilitate transparent and efficient transactions of commodities with guaranteed quality, delivery, and payment.
By ensuring that the Malawi Strategic Grain Reserves maintain a stock of no less than 150,000 metric tonnes at any time, the DPP is fortifying the country’s food security buffer against shocks such as droughts or price volatility.
Championing Climate-Smart and Mechanized Agriculture
The manifesto’s emphasis on climate-smart agriculture technologies and resilient farming practices highlights the DPP’s responsiveness to climate change challenges.
By promoting research and implementation in this area, the party is safeguarding the sector’s future productivity and sustainability.
Understanding that agricultural mechanization has been hampered more by supply-side constraints than demand, the DPP pledges to foster an enabling environment for improved access to machinery and equipment.
Fiscal incentives for importing high-value irrigation equipment and support for producing low-cost, small-scale farm machinery through public-private partnerships (PPP) will significantly enhance mechanization rates, reduce labor-intensive work, and improve efficiency.
Strengthening Cooperative Models and Market Linkages
The manifesto advocates for the establishment of anchor farms, cooperative groups, and village grain banks, which will serve as pillars for rural economic development and food security.
These structures are designed to empower farmers by pooling resources, facilitating bulk marketing, and managing storage effectively.
To expand market access, the DPP plans to create new structured markets for prioritized agricultural commodities, reform existing commodity exchanges, and promote contract farming and out-grower schemes.
These interventions will create stable, predictable income streams for farmers and attract private sector participation, fostering a vibrant, market-driven agricultural economy.
Boosting Fish Farming and Livestock Productivity
Recognizing the importance of diversified agricultural livelihoods, the manifesto includes robust support for fish farming.
By constructing ponds and dams in rural areas and facilitating fish feed availability, the DPP aims to increase fish production among smallholder, medium, and large-scale farmers.
This will improve nutrition and income for rural communities.
Livestock production and productivity will also receive a boost through community participation in breeding programs, pass-on schemes for cattle, goats, and chickens among poor smallholders, and pest and disease control initiatives.
Strengthening breeding programs in government farms will further enhance genetic stock and productivity, contributing to increased meat, milk, and egg supplies.
A Manifesto Poised to Catalyze Agricultural Renaissance
The DPP’s 2025 manifesto is an inspiring and meticulously crafted document that addresses the multifaceted challenges facing Malawi’s agricultural sector.
By combining fiscal incentives, financial support mechanisms, infrastructural development, market reforms, and climate-smart practices, the party has charted a clear path toward a resilient, diversified, and prosperous agricultural economy.
If implemented with dedication and transparency, these policies will empower Malawian farmers, reduce poverty, ensure food security, and stimulate economic growth.
The DPP’s manifesto deserves commendation for its visionary approach and actionable plans that promise to transform Malawi’s agricultural landscape and uplift the livelihoods of millions.
Malawians and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain have every reason to watch this space keenly, as the DPP sets the stage for a new dawn in the nation’s farming sector—one defined by innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable growth.
