1 million axed from AIP
Ministry of Agriculture says it is targeting between 1.3 million and 1.5 million households for the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) this year, a reduction from 2.5 million last year.
The ministry’s Principal Secretary Dixie Kampani said in an interview yesterday the final list of beneficiaries will be determined when government finally comes up the price for the inputs.
He said: “We expect between 1 300 000 and 1 500 000 [beneficiaries]. That is within the budget provided. However, the list of beneficiaries will be determined when we finally determine the final prices. “
In AIP’s inaugural implementation in 2020/21, the Tonse Alliance administration started with 3.7 million beneficiaries, almost three times more than the average 950 000 targeted under the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) during the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration.
This year, AIP has been allocated K109 billion, down from K117 billion last year.
The number of AIP beneficiaries has been going down from the initial 3.7 million in the 2020/2021 season to 2.5 million in the 2022/23 season due to budget cuts.
Meanwhile, the projected cut to about 1.5 million beneficiaries has worried the Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) and other agriculture experts who fear the decision will leave out another 1.5 million smallholder farmers.
FUM president Maness Nkhata in an interview yesterday said Malawi has about three million smallholder farmers and targeting 1.5 million alone would not be helpful.
“Considering that most farmers received fertiliser late in 2022/23 season, which affected maize yields for most farmers, the farmers that will be left out from AIP this year will not be able to buy fertiliser at commercial price as most of them are poor and food insecure,” she said.
In a separate interview, agriculture extension expert Leonard Chimwaza said the reduction will have a negative bearing on the socioeconomic status of the resource poor.
He said availability of most arable crops will be compromised due to low production necessitated by the farmer’s failure to access the production inputs on their own.
Meanwhile, the Fertiliser Association of Malawi has warned of shortage of fertiliser in the country.
The association’s data published in The Nation edition of September 13 shows that the country has about 64 981 metric tonnes (MT) comprising 25 399MT Urea and 39 582MT NPK.
Farmers Union executive administrator Mbawaka Phiri said there is a combined 326 712MT of fertiliser at Mozambique’s Indian Ocean ports of Beira and Nacala, but delivery to Malawi is dependent on the companies sourcing foreign exchange. Beira has 137 562MT and Nacala 189 150MT.
Kampani acknowledged the fears, saying most of the fertiliser is indeed not in the country.
“Some of the fertiliser is in the country and some is on the way for most of the suppliers. But we should be ready to start [AIP fertiliser distribution] on time with what is available,” he said.
Pressed on the exact tonnage available in the country from the 149 164MT under AIP and when exactly the distribution exercise will start, Kampani said the ministry will advise on the date in due course.
The AIP succeeded Fisp which was implemented under DPP.
