In Mangochi, a group of like-minded farmers has teamed up to form a cooperative operating under the name “Mtikama Cooperative”.
The cooperative has 47 members and has about 200 hectares of land which it is now using to cultivate crops such as soybeans and groundnuts.
Mtikama Cooperative chairperson Osman Saidi has indicated that at first, farmers under the cooperative used to operate individually, a development which resulted in challenges such as poor harvests, land constraints and losses on the commodity market.
“But few years ago, we decided to consolidate our dealings and that’s how this cooperative was born,” Saidi said.
He said soon after merging their dealings, farmers and the cooperative worked hard and increased their hecterage from 50 to 200 hectares.
“With this development, we now harvest an average of 300 metric tonnes of soybean which translates to more money for us,” said Saidi.
The cooperative has now established itself as one of reliable suppliers of high-quality soybean, earning a long-term supply contract to one of the country’s biggest purchasers of soybeans, Dala Investments.
The cooperative’s exploits have since caught the attention of Agriculture Commercialization (AGCOM) that has given a matching grant of K270 million.
“We have used the grant to purchase a tractor, a multi-seed planter, a thrasher and a trailer,” He added.
AGCOM National Coordinator DR Ted Nankhumwa has since hailed Mtikama Cooperative for remaining resilient amid continued challenges rocking the agricultural sector.
“As AGCOM, we will stand with them and help them where necessary,” said DR Nankhumwa.
