Dzombe’s fertiliser plant to start April

By Our Reporter

Businessperson and philanthropist Napoleon Dzombe says a fertiliser processing plant he is putting up in Dowa District will become operational in April 2026.

He said in an interview on Saturday during a media tour of the factory that construction will be completed in January.

Dzombe Fertiliser — One of the installed machines at the factory in Dowa. | Kondwani Kandiado

Dzombe said once completed, the processing company will help cut the import bill and other costs the country incurs in shipping the soil nutrient.

He said: “Malawi’s economy is agro-based. I feel no farmer can be successful without fertiliser and if a farmer fails that means agriculture has failed and the Malawi’s economy has failed.

“This is why I came up with the idea of setting up a fertiliser processing plant so that we ease the scarcity of fertiliser on the market.”

Dzombe said the plant has the capacity to produce 30 to 40 metric tonnes (MT) of fertiliser per hour.

“So if we could have two shifts of production a day then we will be able to meet the needs of NPK for the whole county in 150 days,” he said.

Dzombe, who also owns Kalipano Hotel in Dowa, said installation of machines at the factory site was already completed by the Chinese company some few months ago.

Meanwhile, economist Dumbani Mzale has said if such plans materialise, the economy could save billions in foreign currency which are used to import strategic imports like fertilisers, adding that this will help ease pressure on Balance of Payments position and further strengthen value of local currency.

“Demand for fertiliser is immensely high on the market because of the subsidy programme and that the country’s lifeline is agriculture,” he said.

Senior Chief Dzoole of Dowa has hailed Dzombe for the initiative saying it will help boost agriculture production in the district.

Malawi requires 475 000MT of fertiliser annually for the Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme and other farmers