| Produce Marketing ... Produce description & availability | Crops supported by NASFAM
NASFAM promotes diversification away from dependency on maize and tobacco, and thus supports production and marketing of crops such as groundnuts, chili, rice, soya, beans, sunflower and others as appropriate to market demand. | | Quality Control
To maintain the reputation of NASCOMEX as a provider of quality produce, quality control checks are made after harvesting by the farmers, during buying - by trained NASFAM Association personnel - and when produce arrives in the NASCOMEX warehouse.
NASFAM works closely with farmers to sensitise them to the need for quality control, as well as the techniques involved in assuring good quality. Association Field Officers include grading as part of their pre-marketing farmer training package; buyers can be sure that they are getting what they ordered.
| Naturally Grown Produce
All crops grown by NASFAM farmers are free of Genetically Modified Organisms. In addition to this, most NASFAM farmers grow crops naturally, without the use of artificial pesticides or fertilisers. This is particularly true of chilli, groundnut, rice and soya bean crops. | Fair Prices
NASFAM's mandate as a supporter of the smallholder farmer means that farmers are guaranteed a fair price for their produce. The NASFAM associations themselves set the buying price for produce after advice from NASCOMEX on projected local and international prices for the year. If market conditions improve during the buying season, a second discretionary payment is often made by the associations to farmers. NASFAM associations also organise transport for their member's produce a major assistance and saving for smallholder farmers. | Fair Weights
NASFAM ensures that they weigh with accurate Salter scales, which are routinely tested prior to the start of the buying season; all scales determining final buying weight are certified by the Malawi Bureau of Standards.
NASFAM scales are publicly as sized | Fair Prices - A Fair Deal for the Farmer
Mr Biter Kambayika began farming in 1992. He used to grow maize and groundnuts but he would be very lucky if he got more than K4,000 in a year from the sale of his two crops. Marketing was a major problem, not only to him but to many other smallholder farmers in the area. In 1998, Lilongwe East Smallholder Farmers Association was formed. Hearing that they were promoting cash crop production Mr Kambayika joined immediately. He grew groundnuts, maize, and ginger. He was amazed and overjoyed when for the first time in his life he made K32,000. The Association had helped him market all his crops. Mr Kambayika told us, 'I was so happy with the price I was given for my crops and I was surprised when the buyers told me the prices were competitive for them as well. Now I see that those people I used to sell to were exploiting me and other farmers around here'. A few years on, and Mr Kanbayika has almost finished paying off the loan on a house, he has bought a treadle pump for irrigation, four goats, a bicycle and a radio which he says his children enjoy listening to. He says he is enjoying life. | Produce Transport - A Case History
Mrs Fanny Makina joined Dzaone Association in Zomba a few years ago. Before she joined the association she had serious problems getting her tobacco crop to market. It was expensive for her to organise private transport, there were long waits, damaged bales and produce that went missing. In addition, when she reached the auction floors she found it difficult to negotiate or lodge complaints about prices. Being a part of the Dzaone Association has changed her life. Now transport to the auction floors is organised for her under the NASFAM transport programme, none of her produce goes missing as each transporter signs a legal contract indicating the amount of produce he is carrying. 'I am so happy to be a member of the association, I used to worry so much about getting my crop to market. Now the Association hire the transport and it is cheap and safe and nothing is stolen and I take home almost double the money I used to get for my tobacco.’ | Seed Quality
NASFAM is engaged with a variety of seed multiplication and distribution programmes to ensure that NASFAM farmers use only the highest quality seed of the correct varieties. | Shipping
Produce will be packed according to customer needs in hessian or polypropylene bags in quantities of 50kg or 20kg. All produce is carefully handled while warehoused and prepared for shipping. NASFAM has a comprehensive and effective set of warehouse procedures that ensure that customers are completely satisfied with the service they receive. | |
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