The Chairperson,
Distinguished Governors,
President of IFAD,
Ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset, let me congratulate the President of IFAD for successfully organizing this session of the Governing Council.

Malawi considers this meeting very special as it is the first Governing Council session taking place after the adoption of the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed countries for the decade 2011-2020, and we are in the run up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to be held in June this year, both of which have a major bearing on the role and mandate of IFAD. We believe the timing could not have been more appropriate considering that before us is an item on the Ninth Replenishment of IFAD’s Resources which the Fund will require in order to successfully discharge its mandate in the next three years.

Mr. Chairman,

As an agricultural country with a strong smallholder sub-sector base which contributes about 75% of total agricultural output, the Government of Malawi considers IFAD and the Rome based institutions important strategic development partners. We, therefore, find the theme for the 35th session   “Sustainable smallholder agriculture: Feeding the world, protecting the planet” fitting.

Malawi has demonstrated the critical role of the smallholder farmers, majority of who are women and the youth, by allocating higher budgetary allocation to agriculture with positive results. However, challenges facing the smallholder farmers to unlock their huge potential for increasing production and productivity still remain.

Mr. Chairperson,

Malawi Government continues to attach a lot of importance to the attainment of food and nutrition security at both national and household levels which is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable economic development. Food and nutrition security are also critical for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). That is why the Government through the strong vision of His Excellency Professor Bingu wa Mutharika singled out Agriculture and food security, as well as Greenbelt Irrigation and Water Development among the nine priority areas under the five-year Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS II).

As part of the implementation strategy, Malawi Government formulated the Agriculture Sector Wide Approach (ASWAp). This is geared at increasing agricultural productivity, food security and the contribution to economic growth which is also aligned with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).

Our ASWAp focus areas include sustainable management of natural resources with particular attention to sustainable land and water utilization.  Emphasis is being placed on conservation agriculture, afforestation, protection of fragile catchment areas, and rehabilitation of degraded land, water use efficiency and expanding irrigation through the greenbelt initiative, taking into account value chain systems.

We believe this will cushion the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP), Malawi has been implementing since 2005/2006 from the effects of climate change which are causing erratic rains.  The subsidy programme is now a firmly established pillar of agricultural policy and has assisted in food security and nutrition. It has also resulted in higher income for farmers generated through export of surplus food.

With support from IFAD, Malawi will from this year start implementing a nine year Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme (SAPP), aimed at achieving a viable and sustainable smallholder agricultural sector employing goodagricultural practices (GAPs).

I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to thank IFAD for the continued financial support to Malawi, which we believe will be re-ienforced by the commitment to open a country office in Malawi. The signing of the Host Country Agreement on 18th October, 2011 is a major milestone in our cooperation. We trust the office will improve efficiency and effectiveness in programme delivery.

Mr. Chairman,

In conclusion, a lesson from Malawi’s experience is that smallholder farmers can feed the nation, region and the world. However, the challenge is to provide the requisite resources for increasing productivity and also for sustainable management of natural resources including land and water in the face of climate change. In this connection, allocation of adequate resources for the 9th Replenishment of IFAD resources is, therefore, critical if we are to make a difference.

Thank you.

Rome 22 February 2012