A corroboration of enterprising farmers operating under the name “Apatsa Olimbika” is making steady profits through the sale of harvests produced through irrigation farming.
The group, based in Kampango village in the area of Traditional Authority Malili in Lilongwe is cultivating crops such as Maize, onions and cabbages on a 100-acre piece of land.
Apatsa Olimbika group chairperson Amon Molisha has told ProjectM in an interview that the farmers decided to form an alliance earlier this year to maximise their output.
“As individual farmers, we have been farming for a long time without realising meaningful profits and that’s why we decided to change that narrative earlier this year,” he said.
Molisha said the group, comprising of 58 members (20 youths, 19 women and 19 men), has so far managed to earn over K3 million in profits through the harvest and sale of cabbages, K2 million through the sale of beans and tomatoes, with more profits expected to be made once the harvest of Maize is done.
“We are also re-investing part of the profits in order to boost our venture,” said Molisha.
He has since indicated that the cooperative plans to purchase more land in a quest to establish a mega-farm capable of producing more harvests.
“Our vision is to see our cooperative establish a mega-farm capable of not only cultivating crops but add value to them,” he added.
One of the group members, Jeremiah Kazulamphonda has hailed the formation of the cooperative, saying the group has given him hope.
“Now I can do my farming with hope bearing in mind the steady profits we are making as a group,” said Kazulamphonda.
