Centenary Bank Malawi and the European Investment Bank signed a 7.5 million euro financing agreement on September 15 to support small agricultural businesses and farmers, according to AfricaBrief. The deal, equivalent to roughly K15.6 billion, will provide capital to micro, small, and medium enterprises in the agri-food sector. Nyasa Times reports that Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamvekha praised the partnership, noting that half of the funds are dedicated to sustainable agriculture, with the rest targeting businesses led by women and young people.
During the recent Africa Food Systems Forum in early September, Minister of Agriculture Roza Fatch Mbilizi addressed the ongoing challenges of funding local farming initiatives. Inter Press Service reports that Mbilizi highlighted Malawi's progress toward the African Union requirement to dedicate 10 percent of the national budget to agriculture, noting the country is currently at 9 percent. However, she acknowledged that delivering affordable finance to smallholder farmers remains a significant hurdle.
In local farming developments, a grassroots urine fertiliser initiative won top honours at the NCA-DCA Innovation Fund Pitching Event in Lilongwe, according to Kirkens Nødhjelp. The project aims to offer alternative farming inputs as the nation faces rising agricultural costs. In an update to earlier reports on 2027 food security risks, the Malawi News Agency notes that recent modelling by the International Food Policy Research Institute estimates fertiliser prices for the upcoming 2026/2027 season will be 61 percent higher than baseline levels, further straining maize and crop production.