Malawi expands agribusiness grant program to include SMEs
The World Bank-funded Malawi Food System Resilience Programme, a six-year, $329 million project under AGCOM 2, was launched by President Lazarus Chakwera in November 2023.
BLANTYRE, Malawi— Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in southern Malawi's agribusiness sector welcomed their inclusion as beneficiaries of the Malawi Food System Resilience Programme under the Agriculture Commercialization (AGCOM) 2 project, writes Mayamiko Phiri.
The announcement came during a stakeholder meeting in Blantyre on Tuesday, attended by Minister of Trade and Industry Sosten Gwengwe.
The meeting briefed SMEs on accessing the AGCOM-SME matching grant facility.
Qualifying SMEs can obtain grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 to boost their agribusinesses.
Gwengwe emphasized the ministry's focus on various agricultural actors, including commodity off-takers, processors, and exporters.
"The AGCOM project is an important initiative designed to bridge this gap and propel our agricultural sector towards greater commercialization," Gwengwe said.
Mphatso Jumbe, owner of Mafe Dairy Farm in Mpemba, Blantyre, expressed optimism about the potential impact on her 10-year-old business.
Similar meetings were held in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
The World Bank-funded Malawi Food System Resilience Programme, a six-year, $329 million project under AGCOM 2, was launched by President Lazarus Chakwera in November 2023.