But taking advantage of illiteracy levels among the Irish potato growers and the nutritious tubers’ abundance in Ntcheu’s Trading Centres, buyers from all walks of life more often exploit the farmers through offering them low prices for their produce on the market.

After their eyes got opened that they toil hard in the field to produce quality potatoes but get frustrated to sell their produce at a good profit, some Ntcheu smallholder potato farmers teamed up to form Biriwiri Farmers and Marketing cooperative society (BiFAM) Ltd in 2008.

And instead of just selling the raw tubers, BiFAM members even went a step further by deciding to add value to the potatoes through processing them into crisps.

“Unlike in the past we are now reaping from our sweat. Our lives have improved as each member of our group is able to take care of his or her family,” said BiFAM’s youthful Managing Director 27-year-old Gift Alfred Kapesi.

He said previously, despite producing high quality potatoes it was intermediate buyers who were making huge profits by offering them low prices yet they resold their purchase at very high prices.

The BiFAM Managing Director disclosed that the demand for Ntcheu Irish potatoes is always high because of their good quality.

Peak season

“When the potato season is at the peak between February and May for example, on average a 90 Kg potato bag is sold at K2, 300 [over $15]. But after value adding the same quantity fetches over K40, 000 [about $270],” said Kapesi.

Since its establishment and participation in One Village One Product (OVOP), BiFAM, with 88 members (18 men and 70 women) has been adding value to the potatoes through turning them into quality, delicious crisps and sells them around Ntcheu Trading Centre.

BiFAM Assistant Production Supervisor Robert Zunda disclosed that their production is according to the market but not less than 400 crisps packets per day.

“Our products are even quite competitive on the market and rarely do we have returns. This is a sign that our crisps are of high quality,” he said.

Some of BiFAM’s successes include registration as a cooperative, ability to produce and sell crisps, meeting recommendations by Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS), owning a processing factory in Ntcheu comprising of Production, Marketing and Finance Departments and an office block.

The factory’s machinery was acquired through a K6 million ($40,000) loan from OVOP. BiFAM itches for growth to produce more and sell its products both locally and internationally, however, it faces some challenges.

BiFAM Quality Control Assistant Elizabeth Balakasi disclosed the challenges include they are still struggling to get a Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) Certificate despite the fact that they produce high quality crisps and have met the bureau’s recommendations.

Packaging

The cooperative also has yet to competently package its products and source quality packaging materials and label its name and expiry dates on them.

But Balakasi’s Supervisor, Melinda Gongolo, was optimistic that with the support they have been receiving from Malawi Government and Japan’s development wing, the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), BiFAM will experience outstanding growth.

She was however, quick to say that to achieve outstanding growth, the cooperative needs an additional working capital of at least K5 million [over $33,000] and their own premises because all the buildings they are operating from are not theirs but rent them and the cost is expensive.

“We also experience recurrent fuel shortages and electricity black outs so we have plans to acquire a fuel tank to overcome fuel shortages, and source K300, 000 ($2,000) to connect a generator set to still produce during recurrent electricity blackouts and fuel shortages,” said Gongolo.

She also said a water reservoir and a vehicle are also on their plans to store water for production during the periods of water shortages experiences and deliver products to sales outlets respectively.

OVOP National Coordinator Kamia Kaluma Sulumba said since OVOP conception in Malawi, the number of OVOP Programme beneficiaries in the country continues to grow by day.

Sulumba said that the numbers of beneficiaries are not static because they are always adding on new projects.

“But as of July 2010 we had about 12, 000 beneficiaries from OVOP,” she said.

Sulumba further said that OVOP was soon after conception in Malawi under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security but now operates under the Industry and Trade Ministry.
“To enable beneficiaries produce high quality products Malawi Government is through the Ministry of Industry and Trade building the capacities of OVOP member groups at all levels in the country,” said Sulumba.

Transforming lives

She further said it is pleasing that OVOP has transformed lives of local communities in Malawi.

“With support from JICA and Malawi Government, OVOP has economically empowered rural communities through adding value to their produce for sale to fight unemployment and poverty,” she said adding, “Without JICA-Malawi Government joint interventions such as value adding through OVOP communities’ produce would have just been wasted after harvest.”

Sulumba further said her office is even proud that Malawi is taken as the pioneer of OVOP in Africa.

“So normally we have delegations from different parts of Africa to see OVOP in Malawi,” she said.

Sulumba therefore, appealed to JICA and Malawi Government to upscale the assistance to the OVOP Programme in the country saying, “We want OVOP programme in Malawi to be a role model in Africa.”

According to information from JICA-Malawi since OVOP Programme’s introduction in Malawi subsequently over 47 local centrers involving more than 10,000 villagers were established and now produce a variety of local items ranging from banana wine to soaps, spices, candles and palm oil.

And Between 2009/2010 Financial Year alone 19 District Assemblies (DASs) in Malawi submitted 93 New Project Proposals and 16 projects earmarked for OVOP board approval.

OVOP is a community centred and demand driven economic development approach initiated by Oita prefecture in Japan in the 1970s.

Its objective is to achieve regional economic development through adding value to locally available products, through processing, quality control, and marketing.

After noting that if adopted in Malawi, OVOP could add value to local products and transform the country from a predominantly importing and consuming country to a producing and exporting nation as well as create jobs and reduce poverty, Malawi Government officials on several occasions flew to Oita to learn more about the initiative.

In return, some OVOP delegations from Japan with JICA support also came to Malawi.

The interactions between the two parties generated a lot of expectations in Malawi for OVOP as a route to economic development and poverty eradication.