News in brief: Pyxus International and USAID are partnering to invest $44.6 million in sustainable agriculture in Malawi. The project will increase the availability of high-quality groundnut seed, boost production and processing, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and combat deforestation.
Pyxus International, Inc., a global value-added agricultural company, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have announced a $44.6 million partnership to boost sustainable agriculture in Malawi.
The development agency will provide $14.6 million in funding over five years to support Pyxus’ efforts to increase the availability of high-quality, climate-smart groundnut seed varieties in the East African country. It also aims to boost groundnut production and processing at the company’s facilities, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and counteract the nation’s high rate of deforestation.
Pyxus President and CEO, Pieter Sikkel, said the partnership was a major milestone in efforts to drive sustainable agriculture development in Malawi. He expressed gratitude to the USAID for their support. He added that the partnership will help to build capacity and expand impact throughout the legume and forestry value chains to unlock value for Malawi and its farmers.
The project also focuses on improving Malawi’s legume seed production system by accelerating Pyxus’ research and breeding. It will include distributing new high-yielding and climate-resilient legume seed varieties.
Additionally, the collaboration aims at increasing farmer access to high-quality crop inputs. It will offer hands-on training on good agricultural practices and help smallholder farmers navigate financing roadblocks.
Pyxus is also developing a sustainable forestry operation to combat deforestation as well as forest and soil degradation.
Over 20,000 smallholder farmers in Malawi should benefit from the project. It will create jobs, boost exports, and contribute to economic growth in the country.
The California-headquartered company has been running its Pyxus Agriculture Malawi (PAM) operation since 2019 under its Value-Added Agricultural Products division. It has been operating one of the largest groundnut processing facilities in Africa and has gained government approval to commercialise five new legume seed varieties. It has also cultivated and maintained more than 7,000 hectares of forestry.
