Agriculture represents our largest area of investment. Our subsidiary, PLN Star Farms & Agro-Dealers, envisions a nation where absolutely nobody is hungry. We are committed to contributing to a food-secure Malawi by engaging in commercial farming, agro-trading, and supply of critical farm inputs to both smallholder farmers and large-scale agro-processors. Our agricultural efforts not only aim to enhance food production but also to support rural livelihoods and drive sustainable growth in the sector.
Our journey in agriculture began with a bold vision to maximize Malawi’s rich farming potential. We leased 40 hectares of farmland in Kasungu where we cultivate a variety of high-demand commercial crops, including maize, soya beans and groundnuts. With favourable rainfall, the farm has a capacity to produce at least 320 metric tonnes of maize.
Starting modestly in 2022 with a yield of just 2.1 metric tonnes of shelled groundnuts, we have steadily scaled up our operations. By 2024, we were able to cultivate 25 hectares of the leased land and achieved significant yields of 94 metric tonnes of maize and 15.7 metric tonnes of shelled groundnuts.
During the 2024/2025 growing season, we maximized the utilization of all 40 hectares of our agricultural land and employed advanced mechanization methods surpassing those used in prior seasons. This strategy led to unprecedented harvests for both maize and groundnuts. Our future plans include acquiring our own farmland and implementing irrigation farming beginning in the 2025/2026 growing season. This initiative will facilitate year-round agricultural production and enhance our resilience to climate variability, thereby ensuring a steady supply of food products for both local and export markets.
Further, PLN Star Farms & Agro-Dealers is responsible for agro-trading and supply of farm inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and farm equipment to smallholder farmers on an out-grower scheme.
Apart from export markets, the entity acts as a market link between small scale farmers in rural communities and large-scale agro-processors in industrial areas located in the main cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba. We also stock farm-fresh food products such as legumes, cereals, fruits and vegetables and sell them to the end user in purposefully structured outlets conducive for the preservation of the freshness of the food products.