Chitipa District Council has appealed to farmers under Mafinga and Marko Irrigation schemes in Senior Chiefs Mwenewenya and Mwabulambya to utilise the facilities to help fight food insecurity in the district.
Chitipa District Council Director of Planning and Development (DPD), Smith Mnenula, made the call on Wednesday after touring the two irrigation schemes to appreciate what farmers are doing.
Mnenula observed that the two schemes have large hectarage but were being underutilised.
“To achieve the 10-year Malawi Implementation Plan under Malawi 2063, we need to start utilising these capital investments so that we are food secure and have income at household level,” he said.
Secretary for Mafinga Water Users Association, Alice Mbale, assured the council that the association will mobilise farmers ensure they start irrigation farming in the next irrigation season.
The Mafinga and Marko Irrigation schemes were constructed by Programme for Rural Irrigation Development (PRIDE) project with funding from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) and the Malawi Government.
By Aliko Munde, MANA