Small-to-medium enterprises in Malawi have formed a new group aimed at boosting exports, called SME-4X. SMEs account for a large part of the business community in Malawi, however, most only sell their products locally, at low prices, making it difficult for them to grow.

Malawi’s economy depends predominantly on agriculture which mainly consist of subsistence farming. When selling commercially, most agricultural products are sold at low prices locally, and mainly monies realized from such sales are only enough for buying small household necessities like sugar, salt, clothes, and detergent. This is because most of them have no capacity to produce more quality crops and add value to them, to penetrate both local and international markets. Most farmers also have no access to financing.