Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has expressed fear that the run up to the September 16 General Election threatens to disrupt implementation of Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP), calling on government to expedite processes.
FUM chief executive officer Jacob Nyirongo in an interview on Friday cat doubt that the programme will be implemented timely, observing that there does not seem to be much progress in terms of preparatory work.
He said: “The ideal time for farmers to get farm inputs is now when they are selling their produce and have enough liquidity to finance the next farming season. FUM is ready to work with the government on beneficiary identification and broader implementation of the programme.”
In the 2025/26 National Budget, government allocated K131.6 billion for AIP, lower than the K161 billion allocated in the 2024/25 budget which targeted to support 1 054 945 beneficiaries. Ministry of Agriculture is yet to announce the number of beneficiaries for this year.
Nyirongo said FUM was yet to be consulted on the beneficiary identification.
In a separate interview, Grain Traders Association of Malawi president Grace Mijiga Mhango said there is no hope on AIP this year, citing prevailing foreign exchange challenges as one factor likely to affect the programme and further delay its implementation.
She also expressed doubt that government will be able to issue contracts for supply of inputs in the next three weeks and distribute the inputs on time.
“We are struggling a lot with the issue of forex. Unless they identify forex, I don’t see any supplier who would risk to bring in inputs without a proper payment mode in terms of forex. So it is very doubtful that we will have a timely AIP,” said Mhango.
In 2023, President Lazarus Chakwera in his State of the Nation Adress directed that procurements of inputs under AIP should be done by June so that farmers start accessing inputs early July. However, in the past two years the programme has experienced delays in implementation.
