A potato quality assurance project is being implemented by the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MSB) to improve the way Irish potato farmers in the central region handle their produce, so that they can sell it for the best price. The project will educate farmers on the standards they need to follow.
Maziko Nkhulembe, MBS food and agriculture officer said, "Farmers need to ensure that their products are clean, dry and with no cuts. We are also emphasising grading and the use of scale when selling their products."
The officer said the whole purpose of the standards is to make sure that farmers are getting better proceeds from their farming and that the markets stock better commodities for people's consumption.
Rural Livelihood and Economic Enhancement Programme (RLEEP) commodity specialist, Shelix Munthali, said as his Programme was promoting Irish potato farming, there was a need for farmers to have quality standards for their commodities for them to benefit and compete well with other farmers from outside the district.
"Consumers were complaining and demanded quality products, that's why we engaged MBS to help us with the standards and then disseminate them to the farmers," he said
