Problem Solving

Market for Horticultural crops especially fruits such as mangoes, pawpaw, and avocado pears is a great challenge in Malawi.  Usually market opportunities are available in   big shops such as Shoprite, Sana, Peoples, Chipiku, Pick  n Pay, Spar  and Superior  Food Market. These are mainly located in major cities of Malawi including, Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba.

Fresh fruit markets may also be available  in leading lodges  and  hotels  such as Sun Bird Hotels (Mount Soche in Blantyre, Capital Hotel and Lilongwe Hotel in Lilongwe, Mzuzu Hotel in Mzuzu,   Ku Chawe Inn  in Zomba and Mkopola Lodge in Mangochi, Livingstonia Beach Hotel in Salima), Presidential Walmont  Hotel in Lilongwe, Sun n Sand in Mangochi, Golden Peacock in Lilongwe, Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, Ryalls Protea Hotel, Simama Hotel, etc.

Other organizations such as Malawi Mangoes in Salima has also been offering markets for  Mangoes and banana to farmers although the large part of it comes from their own farms.

Local fruit juice processors such as Dairibord, Suncrest Creameries and Golden Sun may also offer opportunities for fruit products. For fruit jams, Mulanje Peak is the only commercial domestic producer of jams in Malawi.

However, most markets for fruits  are informal, ranging from individuals selling roadside to many sellers congregating to offer a variety of produce and other agricultural products. The markets in larger cities such as Lilongwe and Blantyre are similar to the markets in market towns like Balaka or Ncheu, but simply larger with more vendors for each product.

Within Malawi, the majority of fresh fruit consumption occurs when fruits are in season. Once harvested, fresh fruit  are be taken to market for sale. An individual smallholder farmer’s fruit is usually transported by manpower (carrying, wheelbarrows, bicycles) to the main road, where a consumer, vendor, or middleman can purchase the fruit. A vendor or middleman then transports the fruit to a market where he sells the fruit himself or sells to another vendor.

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