The African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership’s (AFAP) Vice-President, Richard Mkandawire, together with Richard Jones, the Chief of Party of the Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership in Africa (SSTP), attended the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Economy (PACE) chaired by President Joyce Banda of Malawi.

Jones was invited to brief the group on SSTP ,the first tangible investment in Malawi under the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition that the country joined on June 8, 2013.

SSTP is a $47 million dollar three year initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and being implemented by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The Partnership is designed to address regulatory constraints affecting input supply to smallholder farmers and to increase the capacity of both the public and private sectors to deliver quality seeds and other technologies resulting in increased adoption by smallholder farmers.

Mkandawire said: “Africa is re- positioning itself as the main breadbasket for the future and to do this, farmers will need access to high quality inputs. Timely delivery of quality inputs will play a crucial role in boosting agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers”.

AGRA working with AFAP is exploring opportunities in supporting the Government of Malawi’s efforts to increase agricultural productivity through the Agriculture Sector Wide Approach (ASWAp).

“AFAP working in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Ghana  is  currently providing support to commercial businesses along the fertilizer value chain through Agribusiness Partnership Contracts, that specify quantifiable deliverables focused on providing smallholder farmers with the means to increase their yields and improve their livelihoods through agriculture,” Mkandawire said.

President Banda expressed gratitude to SSTP, and more particularly the G8 and USAID for its continued support to Malawi’s agricultural agenda.