No more cold shoulder for pork
23 November 2010

In July 2010 RIU Malawi became concerned about problems in the pork value chain.

Nobel Moyo, RIU Malawi's Coordinator, explains:

"The main cold storage company, owned by Malawians, was sold to people of Asian origin, who could not entertain pig slaughtering and processing on religious grounds. We were very concerned about this change as it could impact on the development of the RIU-supported pig markets."

However, a very practical solution was brokered. The former owners negotiated to continue running part of the plant for pig slaughter. As the building is detached from the main plant, the new owners granted permission. They secured an adjacent space for expansion of the investment. One of the owners is active member of the Livestock Platform and therefore RIU was well placed to undertake constructive brokerage.

With growing demand, the plant is being developed to handle more pigs each day.

Moyo continues:

"This story has a happy ending for the people in the pig value chain. It is good news for the RIU-backed pig markets too, as there will be a close interrelationship between the market and the processing plant."