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By Tione Andsen
Lilongwe, June 26, Mana: The government said the offer to export 50,000 tonnes of pigeon pea to India remains valid and will be extended until 2025.
The Director of Trade in Goods at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Charity Musonzo, disclosed this at a press conference on the implementation of the Ministry’s National Single Window Project in Lilongwe on Wednesday. The project is being implemented by the Southern African Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP) and funded by the World Bank as part of the Nacala Corridor Development Project.
She said the 2018 dal quotations remained binding and the only drawback was the country’s failure to supply the required quantity.
“We have been exporting pigeon pea to India but the production is not enough for the country and we need to encourage farmers to produce the crop on a large scale,” Musonzo added.
The director said increasing pigeon pea production would help the country earn foreign exchange, thereby helping to replenish the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
She said the trade ministry was concerned that the proposal had been in place for six years and most traders and farmers had not committed to exporting the commodity.
“We hope that the production of pigeon pea products will increase this year to meet the needs of the international market,” Musonzo added.
She noted that the 50,000 metric tonne export threshold remains in place and the Indian government is even willing to extend the concession beyond 2025.
The director called on traders and farmers to seize the opportunity to increase pigeon pea production in the country.
Wilson Limbanga, a pigeon pea trader, suggested that the Ministry of Agriculture work with Mega farm to launch a special programme to increase the production of the crop.
He said low pigeon pea production in the country was due to unreasonable prices and unstable market, which led farmers to sell at a loss.
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