Henry Chirwa, 68, is Group Village Headman Chikwesa in Kasungu who is member of Takondwa Club run by GUJA Investments. When asked about his experience with the GUJA Investments interventions being supported by CAT, he says: “I joined the GUJA program as a member of Takondwa Club in 2020 and have earned a lot of money from groundnut sales than I ever imagined at the beginning of the season. I have been a tobacco farmer all my life, and over the years I received several trainings in tobacco production where I was taught how to calculate the cost of production. I can assure you that tobacco production is costly, but most smallholder farmers do not know that they are making losses. Today, I am very grateful for the GUJA program which is providing groundnut production support and bringing a reliable market in my area as farmers do not need to travel long distances looking for better prices for their produce.” GUJA Investments is in Kasungu district and has branches in Mchinji, Dowa, and Ntchisi districts. The company is involved in the production and trading of legumes, namely soybeans and groundnuts. GUJA Investments works with farmer clubs, organizations, and cooperatives in legumes production by supplying them with certified seed, recommended chemicals and fertilizers, agricultural extension services, and a market for the produce from the farmers. This is done to ensure that the produced groundnuts and soybeans meets export quality specifications and that the farmers achieve high returns from farming. One of lead farmers, Hilda Chirwa, 42, in Chikwesa Zone and member of Takondwa Club, echoes Henry’s sentiments. “I have been growing tobacco since 2002 without seeing any profit and in 2020 I joined GUJA to grow groundnuts. With the proceeds from my groundnuts sales, I have bought a bicycle and 2 pigs. My plan is to increase hectarage in 2021/22 season so that I can finish roofing my house with iron sheets.” Taking his turn, Victor Chilaseni of Tiyanjane Club, 38, and a father of four, is another happy farmer who has benefited from CAT support through GUJA Investments. “I am planning to grow more groundnuts and become a medium size commercial farmer under GUJA so that one day I can fulfil my dreams of owning town houses and a motor vehicle,” says Victor. The company’s Managing Director, James Gunde, says his company has already made a positive impact on the contracted small-scale farmers using its business model. “With support from CAT, the services offered by GUJA have attracted a good number of farmers from new areas where we did not have a footprint before. We plan to train some farmer clubs in seed production using the expertise of one of our field officers to produce seed to be given to more farmers in subsequent years. Farmers will benefit a lot as low seed cost will boost their profit margin.”