APPRECIATION—Chomanika (in cap) appreciates how the tuber looks (on display)
By Gospel Mwalwanda:
‘Thabalaba’ is Malawi’s ‘real gold’ with potentially huge economic benefits for the country, says the Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Owen Chomanika.
According to Chomanika, the tuber is an important plant that should be grown at household level to improve people’s lives.
“It’s very profitable. We have to domesticate it,” Chomanika said in Nsanje when he visited the district during his familiarisation tour.
The visit took him the Matandwe Forest Reserve where the Shire Valley Transformation Programme (SVTP) is implementing natural resource management interventions.
The forest reserve is a habitat for Jateorhiza palmata, the scientific name for a climbing plant locally known as ‘Thabalaba’ whose root tuber is highly sought after for its medicinal properties.
The cassava-like tuber has a bitter taste. It is said to be useful for numerous ailments, including treatment of fever, diarrhoea, rheumatism, and relieving vomiting and nausea.
In addition, while there is no proven scientific evidence yet, locals say the tuber also enhances a man’s sexual potency.
It is also believed that anti-venom for snake bites can be made from the tuber.
The plant is native to tropical southeastern Africa and present in Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Vendors from distant places flock to Nsanje to buy the root tuber, but offer very low prices.
Through the SVTP intervention, communities are now aware of the procedures they have to follow for them to achieve fair trade of the tuber using the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) guidelines.
GOMANI—Thabalaba is marketable
The government developed the ABS guidelines in 2021 to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from utilisation of genetic resources.
Speaking when he addressed district council members, Chomanika described Thabalaba as Malawi’s ‘real gold’.
He spoke of the need to domesticate the plant to empower locals economically and save the Matandwe Forest Reserve from depletion.
He said government has instituted a research to see if the plant could be domesticated.
In January 2024, the Department of Environmental Affairs established 10 community research plots in Zunde, Mpatsa, and Magoti Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in Nsanje.
The SVTP is financially supporting the study.
Of the 10 plots, seven are functioning and were harvested in December 2024. The failure of the three has been attributed to management issues.
Chomanika urged researchers in local universities to get involved and conduct furthe
