During a media tour in Salima District, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) has urged groundnut farmers in the country to plant improved varieties of seed and negotiate for better markets to maximise profits.

Agra Country Director, Sofie Chitedze, said this year’s output will be good. On the other hand, having worked on overcoming various challenges in the past 2 years, the legumes sector looks positive as the Legumes Development Trust (LDT) says it anticipates better prices for legume crops this year as the majority of farmers have already signed up to sell to readily identified markets.

The trust’s manager Sangwani Makoko confirmed that the trust has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with buyers, for specific tonnage. In the 2019/2020 National Budget, government allocated K1.8 billion for improved legume production, but the LDT has called for more investments in the legume sector to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers.