Africa-Press – Malawi. Tete Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM) to consider expanding its markets and operations to Mozambique where its products and services are reportedly on higher demand.
Speaking after a delegation of businesspeople toured NASFAM Commercial (NASCOMEX) Factory in Lilongwe on Friday, regulator of the chamber, Ofelio Cauiriza, indicated that there many business opportunities the Malawian organization can explore in Mozambiqe in its expansion drive.
“We’re impressed with what we have seen here at the factory and how the organization is transforming lives of its member farmers through value addition. That’s why we’re asking management NASFAM to seriously consider opening its factory in Tete, Mozambique, so that our smallholder farmers, too, can benefit from its services while it is growing its business,” said Cauiriza.
While concurring with Cauiriza, the First Secretary at the Mozambican Consulate in Malawi, Laercia Timbana, called for stronger and enhanced collaboration between Malawian and Mozambican businesspeople, stressing that this is key in realizing the benefits of regional integration.
Timbana said Mozambique is committed to creating a conducive environment for the flourishment of cross-border trade between the two countries.
“Mozambique has a lot of farmers who are producing a lot, but we are not processing the way NASFAM is doing. So this is a lesson, and this is something which Mozambique has to think about. Since I came with businesspeople, I believe the message has reached to the right people. Mozambican businessspeoople will see how best they can tap from what Malawi can offer,” she said.
In her remarks, NASFAM Chief Executive Officer Dr. Betty Chinyamunyamu said the company is already exploring opportunities in regional markets such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa.
But Chinyamunyamu disclosed that Mozambique was not among the targeted markets because of its trade restrictions.
“That’s why when we had an engagement with the team of the delegation from Mozambique, we did not know exactly what their interests were. But when they came, they’ve shown that they’ve got a lot of interest in the things that we’re doing here. So they were asking if we can establish a factory like this in Tete, for example, because they indicated that they do not have something that’s doing the kind of processing that we here are doing in NASFAM,” she reacted.
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