Malawi’s Biggest Greenhouse Farm Is a Game-Changer

A sprawling greenhouse farm near Kamuzu International Airport has been hailed as a game-changer for Malawi’s agricultural sector, generating vital foreign exchange and creating opportunities for hundreds of Malawians in what was once barren ground.

Izhak Kanes, Chairperson of the Board of Inosselia Commercial, praised GBI Greenhouse Limited (GGL) for its year-round production of premium bell peppers, tomatoes, watermelons and butternuts – crops that now supply both local and international markets.

Inosselia, a global multinational firm, manages the site as part of a seven-year joint venture with the Malawi government through the Greenbelt Authority, in what is Malawi’s only large-scale greenhouse-based vegetable farm.

Kanes said the farm was redefining the country’s fresh produce landscape while generating and saving significant income for the government, particularly through export earnings and reduced reliance on imports.

He said GGL was strengthening domestic food production, creating jobs and developing local skills as part of the country’s wider economic development.

The ambitious project was first conceived back in 2018, following high-level talks between then-President Peter Mutharika and Kanes – a shared vision that was later championed by the late Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe.

Six years on, the farm has cemented its status as a flagship example of successful import substitution and export-driven agriculture in Malawi, with current monthly production exceeding 20 tonnes of tomatoes, 10 tonnes of bell peppers, 24,000 watermelons and 24,000 butternut squash.

The operation now employs 130 Malawians, working under a fully local management team led by Farm Manager Tamandani Chanza.

Kanes revealed that the motivation behind the venture went far beyond profit, saying the goal was to develop something commercially viable that could genuinely benefit rural communities, women and young people.

The businessman, who spoke of his faith driving the project forward, said the farm stood as proof that determination and hard work could transform even the most unpromising land into a source of opportunity for future generations.

He added that the successful partnership with government could serve as a blueprint, encouraging other investors – both local and international – to consider putting their money into Malawi.

Michael Gorelik, Inosselia’s Country Director for Malawi, said the results achieved at the farm had significantly exceeded original expectations, describing it as proof that a well-structured public-private partnership can deliver real economic and social benefits for the country.

The scale of the operation is striking. GGL spans approximately 27 hectares, with 16 state-of-the-art greenhouses – each covering a full hectare – reportedly making it the largest greenhouse farm of its kind in Southern Africa.

The site boasts 10 boreholes, each roughly 70 metres deep, feeding a computerised, automated irrigation and fertigation system through an underground pipe network.

The farm also houses a modern packing house, cold-storage facilities and a training and demonstration centre.

Gorelik said all 16 greenhouses were now operating at full production capacity year-round, with the farm having become one of the most reliable suppliers of high-quality fresh vegetables to Malawi and beyond – including major supermarkets, hotels, resorts, wholesalers and local markets.

Kanes summed up the venture’s wider mission simply: the ambition, he said, was not just to grow vegetables, but to grow hope and opportunity for Malawi’s future.

By Nyasa Times.