Japan beckons honey from Malawi

Farmers who practice honey production in the Southern African country Malawi can now start smiling as a market for exporting the product has been secured in Japan, the country's minister of Trade and Industry said Tuesday.

Malawi which also exports tea and other commodities to Japan has many farmers who practice honey production however many have failed to export it outside.

The Southern African country depends much on agriculture for its economy through its major crops tea and tobacco however many farmers are now exploring other crops among them mushrooms.

Henry Mussa minister of Trade and Industry said the honey deal would help improve the economy of the Southern African nation as well as the government’s agenda of turning the nation into an exporting nation.

The United Nations said recently that the African nation was suffering because it depended more on imports rather than investing more in agriculture and become exporters.

Malawi’s local daily of the Daily Times reported Thursday that the minister who attended an African fair in Japan made the remarks on Tuesday in the country’s capital of Lilongwe saying it was now time for Malawian honey farmers to reap from their sweat.

“We have indeed found potential market for Malawi’s produce. Clearly, we have clinched deals in tea, coffee, groundnuts and soya beans just to mention a few and in addition, firm orders were placed on Malawi’s honey,” Mussa told the Daily Times.

The local daily said the firm orders were clinched just two months after the Southern African nation signed a lucrative business deal with its partner China, which would allow Malawi to export products duty free.

The African Fair in Japan attracted over 400 companies from Africa who showcased their products.

Last week one of the country’s major private produce merchants Mulli Brothers which also participated in the fair said they would start exporting a new type of Chinese tea grown in the country to Japan.

The company’s director said soon after his arrival from Japan that he had discovered that the country’s tea sells like hot cakes In Japan.

Meanwhile LONRHO, the conglomerate with a structured portfolio of African investments, has signed an agreement with Malawi government to develop a cold store and agri-processing and packing facility in the country’s capital, Lilongwe.

The firm which was a major player during the era of Malawi’s first president Hastings Kamuzu Banda reported on its website Wednesday that the deal would include the development of a 100 hectare agriculture project in Lilongwe.

The website further said the deal is set to provide agronomist advice to help local farmers increase yields and quality of production and pay a nominal ground rent for the farm and the site for the new facility.

LONRHO is one of the popular firms which is also running various projects in the African continent and trades its shares on the London stock market,(AIM). It has over 19,000 shareholders and has business interests in countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe.