Picture: Kadam’manja.
By Henry Mlelemba and Laziah Block.
Two years ago, the announcement of a weekly market at Kamuzu Road in Salima ignited excitement among farmers. It was heralded as a turning point, a chance to fetch better profits and finally break free from middlemen who often dictated prices.
For Chrissy Kadamanja, a member of the Tilimbike Farmer Field School, the news felt like a lifeline. With reliable access to buyers, she imagined sacks of maize, groundnuts, and vegetables flowing steadily into the market, transforming sweat in the fields into tangible income.
But today, that promise lies in silence. The market remains an idea on paper, with no stalls, no buyers, and no relief for farmers who continue to struggle with unpredictable prices and unsold produce.
What was once a glimmer of hope has faded into frustration, leaving communities to question whether development pledges are ever meant to materialize.
“As for us, we harvest a lot, but harvesting with despair since we do not have markets readily available for our products. The issue of having a market was our dream, now it is our burden,” Kadamanja said.
Another farmer, Efilina Funsani, while acknowledging bumper harvests both individually and as a group, laments that lack of proper markets has become a barrier to progress.
“We end up storing our produce, hoping to sell in future. We remember the time news came that Salima would start having a market like Chezi in Dowa and MUA in Dedza. But nothing hashappened.”
Local comparisons sharpen the pain. Farmers in Chezi and MUA enjoy structured weekly markets where buyers flock, prices are competitive, and produce moves quickly.
Picture: Tony Gondwe.
In Salima, farmers remain trapped in uncertainty, forced to sell cheaply to middlemen or watch their crops rot in storage.Salima District officials say the delay in establishing the weekly market is tied to land ownership and planning challenges
“We are trying to engage the owners of that land. Initially there was a proposal to open a market at that site, but the land doesn’t belong to the council, it belongs to the Ministry of Transport and Public Works,” explained District Physical Planning Officer Tonny Gondwe.
He added that once approval is secured, the council will move forward: “Once given the approval, there will be no problem and we will start looking at the requirements.”
Picture: Humphreys Phiri.
District Trade Officer Humphreys Phiri emphasized the importance of the project: “The market is of high significance in the district as it will help small-scale farmers and consumers to cut short travelling expenses to sell and find agricultural products.”
For Salima’s farmers, hope is not lost, but it now depends on action, not promises. They demand stalls, buyers, and accountability.