In 2012, I ventured into maize farming at my ‘Chimpinga Farm’ in Chipata. It was a huge project and I later discovered that maize is not that profitable. It is labour intensive and require a lot of inputs such as pricy fertilizers and weed killer. After my “successful” harvest that season, I was shocked with the price that was on offer for the purchase of maize from both the private sector and the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) . The margins were very tiny! Not making business sense at all! A friend visited my farm when we were preparing land for maize cultivation. He is an experienced and successful rancher. “Why waste land like this Baba Jere?” he asked. “There is no money mu Vi Nchebele Baba…” he said, alluding to the fact that maize farming is not profitable unless the maize is meant for making feed for animals. He suggested that I fence my farm and consider bringing in game or cattle which require less labour compared to maize farming. I am still thinking about that proposa
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