MZIMBA RAISES 1.8 M SEEDLINGS

Mzimba has beaten 15 other districts in raising over 1.8 million seedlings in readiness of the forthcoming forestry season.

Income Generating Public Works Programme Task Manager responsible for forestry Mrs. Rose Bell disclosed this in Mzimba on Thursday during a field day at Bhebula Mhango Village.

According to Mrs. Bell the 15 districts are expected to raise 6.5 million seedlings.

The Task Manager responsible for forestry in the Income Generating Public Works Programme Mrs. Rose Bell said by next year they would have planted over 35.5 million trees in the country’s fifteen districts since the programme started in August 2005.

She said while other districts are badly deforested, Mzimba is lucky because its people have realized before things got out of hand to start afforestation.

District Forestry Officer for the Mbelwa district assembly Mr. Evance Nyirongo said they are set to redress over 750 hectares with the 1.8 million seedlings which they have raised.

At 2 percent loss of forest per year, Malawi is the worst in the SADC region and women interviewed at Bhebula Village where the Income Generating Public Works Programme witnessed a forestry field day for the area where close to 15,400 seedlings have been raised conceded that indeed they have destroyed their forests.

Mrs. Isabel Mhango said they are experiencing tough time especially when there is need to fetch firewood and water since they are supposed to travel long distances at Chiling’oma hills, some twenty kilometers from their village.

But she said with the coming in of the programme they hope all this will now be history.