BLANTYRE, Malawi, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Malawian Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale has hailed the 21st National Agriculture Fair as a milestone in ensuring that the country adopts smart and sustainable agriculture systems to satisfy the international market.
Kawale made the remarks on Thursday during the official opening of the event in Blantyre, the country's commercial city located about 300 km south of the national capital of Lilongwe.
"This year's theme, 'Towards Commercialization and Economic Transformation Through Smart and Sustainable Agricultural Systems,' is not a suggestion; it is a national mandate. It is also a direct challenge to each one of us to rethink the way we approach farming," said Kawale.
The minister said in the wake of the U.S. tariffs on imports from African countries, including Malawi, there are a lot of trade opportunities in alternative markets.
Wisely Phiri, president of the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, stressed the need for farmers to achieve high-quality produce, saying the government has already secured large market deals for exports.
One of the key local exhibitors at the agricultural fair is the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC), a government entity mandated to promote the Malawian economy by increasing the volume and quality of its agricultural exports.
According to Chief Executive Officer Daniel Makata, ADMARC has also joined the chase for foreign markets by procuring high-tech equipment, including dryers for maize and legumes, to meet the required moisture levels for the international produce market.
