ARET, Chitedze Research De-linked From LUANAR

The National Assembly passes the bill detaching Agriculture Research Trust (ARET) and Chitedze Research Station from the Lilongwe University oAgriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

The two delinked institutions and the two colleges of Bunda College of Agriculture and Natural Resources College were joined during Bingu Wa Mutharika administration forming Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

Minister of Agriculture Irrigation and Water Development, Allan Chiyembekeza said during the Second Reading of the Bill 'Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Amendment)', that excluding the two institutions from forming LUANAR the country stands to benefit more.  

"Despite delinking of Chitedze and ARET from LUANAR, there will be strong collaboration between these two institutions and LUANAR on research technology, dissemination as well as teaching.

Staff from these institutions should be allowed to teach at LUANAR, conduct research and supervising research but with agreed time allocations and associated rewards while retaining their core functions over bride research to address national agricultural research problems." Said Chiyembekeza

He further told the house that the amended legislation apart from enabling ARET and Chitedze Research Station maintain their identities and core functions, said ARET will return its mandate of promoting tobacco production and remain as a centre of excellence for tobacco and no loss of jobs at both institutions;

"Government control of the National Agriculture Research Agenda will be maintained, the cost of relocating Regulatory and Technical the functions from Chitedze Research Station and ARET and Re-orientation of the other research stations will be avoided and the future of the international Agriculture Research Centres that are based at Chitedze Research Station will also be ensured." he added

The minister mentioned that integrating Chitedze Research Station into LUANAR would have brought more negative implications which includes: loss of Government control of the National Agriculture Research Agenda; High cost of relocating Regulatory, Technical and the Advisory functions from Chitedze; 

“Shifting priority for Agriculture Research, re-orientation of the rest of the research stations in the ministry, uncertainty over the livestock of research and infrastructure and uncertainty over the future on the international agriculture research centres that are housed at Chitedze Research centre." He said

The minister also noted that Government created ARET as the model for Public Private Partnership which the country needs to learn from and replicate to continue championing in the production of tobacco in this country.

Responding to the bill, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson on Agriculture, Felix Jumbe made no objection to the provisions in the bill.

However, Jumbe said; "Including Chitedze in LUANAR it was a quite an anomaly. We would rather wish Chitedze become a Commission and excluded from Ministry of Agriculture"

Similarly, People's Party (PP) shadow Minister of Agriculture, Dr. James Munthali supported the bill but taunted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Government for making a u-turn over the decision it made some years ago.

ARET was established in 1995 through a Trust deed with the ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development and Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) as donors and trustees. TAMA and some stakeholders in the tobacco industry resisted the integration of ARET into LUANAR.

President Mutharika Asks Tobacco Buyers to Give Fair Prices to Farmers

President Professor Peter Mutharika has asked tobacco buyers to give growers fair price as the market season kick start this Wednesday.

The Malawi leader was speaking at Kamuzu Palace on Tuesday evening during an audience with tobacco buyers where he stressed that he considered it necessary to hold meeting with them as the market season begins.

Before the meeting was held in camera, President Mutharika made two significant appeals. He asked tobacco buyers to give tobacco farmers fair price this year so that they benefit from their sweat, he also appealed to both buyers and seller the need to ensure that this year, should be a smooth market season.

President Mutharika hinted that the meeting was to discuss some challenges being faced by tobacco buyers and chart a way forward and looking at grey areas that surround  tobacco buying systems particularly on contract farming.

He spoke highly on the need to explore means of ending challenges that farmers are experiencing on contract farming especially on  Integrated Production System (IPS) which among others farmers are complaining that they do not have a bargaining power for their product.

President Mutharika however, stressed that "No matter what the system is used in the buying of tobacco" but  growers must have a fair price.

He also asked farmers to ensure that they bring high quality tobacco to the market floors and should refrain from practice of mixing tobacco with foreign objects as this may diminish the interest of buyers from buying their tobacco.

His excellency Mutharika also assured the stakeholders that Malawi government values them as key players in the tobacco sector. He further expressed government commitment to work with them and resolve all challenges in the tobacco sector.

Representative from tobacco buyers while thanking government for its positive approaches in the tobacco sector and pledging commitment to ensure that they grow their businesses together with farmers. They have also assured government that they shall remain true partner of Malawi government in the tobacco sector.

Among stakeholders that had an audience with President Mutharika includes, ARET, Alliance One, JTI, Malawi Leaf, TAMA and Limbe Leaf.