Malawi is expected to generate millions of dollars following the interest from new international markets in purchasing over 400,000 metric tonnes of the country’s pigeon peas.

Ministry of Trade spokesperson, Patrick Botha said that Singapore, Pakistan, Tanzania, India, Kenya, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have confirmed their interntion to buy this year’s commodity.

“The Indian government has removed the export quota of 50,000 metric tonnes of pigeon peas for Malawi in the 2024-2025 farming season, indicating there will be no tonnage limit for exporting the peas” said Botha.

Programme Officer for the Legumes Development Trust, Sangwani Makoko, highlighted that smallholder farmers to benefit from this opportunity the government should take deliberate steps to reduce farmer’s vulnerability.

This includes ensuring that local large-scale traders purchase the commodity above farm gate prices and strengthening the cooperative model.