President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the government of Malawi eyes strengthening the cooperation between the two countries in the agriculture sector and student exchange, Malacañang said on Friday.

During the presentation of credentials by Non-Resident Malawi Ambassador to the Philippines Kwacha Chisiza to President Marcos at Malacañang earlier this week, the latter mentioned that Malawi is willing to send their technicians, scientists, and actual practitioners to share their knowledge in improving the agriculture sector, particularly in enhancing rice production.

"So, if we can get it started, Your Excellency, I think it would be of great benefit to both our countries because generally, what flows from this kind of partnership is with – is straight, will come from that and we are, of course, always looking to increase our trade with all our partners," Marcos said.

"So, again, the future is ripe with opportunity. I think it is a good time to take that opportunity for Malawi and for the Philippines together," Marcos added.

Chisiza expressed his hope that the bilateral relations between the two countries will strengthen, citing several common areas in which both countries can benefit from one another.

"We see a lot of interest in the agriculture sector that the Philippines has and our economy in Malawi is predominantly dependent on agriculture. We want (to learn) about the Philippines and large quantities of rice production which in our country, it is the second staple food," Chisiza said.

The ambassador also discussed Malawi's "Malawi Vision 2063," which centers on three key aspects: enhancing agriculture productivity and commercialization, promoting industrialization, and facilitating urbanization. He extended an invitation to Marcos Jr. to explore the possibility of visiting Malawi during his future official trips.

Additionally, the Malawi government expressed interest in fostering student exchanges between their nation and the Philippines to gain valuable knowledge and technical expertise from the Philippines.