The Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) is a leading importer, distributor, retailer and wholesaler of fertilizer, seed, farm implements, agrochemicals and an upcoming exporter of agricultural commodities.
SFFRFM was incorporated on 1st April 1988 as a trust under the Trustees Incorporation Act of 1962. The objectives of the trust were:
The financing of all imports of fertilizer required for use by smallholder farmers in Malawi, including storage, sales and distribution thereof
The acquisition, administration, control, maintenance and operation of any premises, including the fittings, machinery, equipment, fixture and stocks included therein or necessary therefore to be used for the administration and management of fertilizer supply programme of smallholder farmers in Malawi
The adoption and implementation of such procedures as shall ensure that the right kind of fertilizer shall always be available in sufficient quantities for supply at economic prices to the smallholder farmers throughout Malawi
The payment of any expenses necessary for the performance or the day to day operations of the Trust, including the payment of salaries and wages to any employee of the Trust and the payment of any allowances and other expenses due to the Trustees
The financing of all other acts, matters and things deemed appropriate by the Trustees for giving effect to the objects of the Trust
The Trust deed of SFFRFM was varied in 2012, whereby apart from trading in fertilizer, SFFRFM is now trading in agro chemicals and agricultural commodities
SFFRFM’s head office is situated at Ulimi House in Blantyre. There are three main regional offices situated in 3 major cities across the country. The regional offices are as follows: Southern Region – Chirimba Depot – Blantyre City One warehouse with storage capacity of 45,000 tonnes. Central Region – Kanengo Depot – Lilongwe City Two warehouses with storage capacity of 45,000 tonnes each. Northern Region – Luwinga Depot – Mzuzu City One warehouse with storage capacity of 40,000 tonnes.
Each Regional Office has its own satellite depot network spread in various districts across the country.
SFFRFM has been an active and trusted partner in various government and donor programmes such as Starter Pack, Agricultural Productivity Investment Programme (APIP), Fertilizer Subsidy Programme and the Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme including providing storage space for fertilizer donations and agricultural chemicals to Government from cooperating partners and providing logistical support for cotton seed for Government Other responsibilities for SFFRFM include taking care of external fertilizer price shocks and stabilization of fertilizer prices in the country.
The key roles for SFFRFM in FISP include providing of warehousing capacity, quality checks, receiving and dispatching, re-bagging and standardization, selling fertilizer and civic educating the farmers. These skills are unique to the organization and have been built in and transferred to SFFRFM staff in the past two decades.
SFFRFM is endowed with the necessary trained and experienced human resource for the fertilizer, farm implements, agrochemicals and agricultural commodities sectors. There is expert knowledge in the organization in Executive Management, Accounting, Procurement, Logistics, Warehousing and Marketing.
