Experts have predicted low maize yields in the forthcoming farming season due to rising prices of both inorganic fertilisers and improved maize seeds, worsened by a general decline in economic capability of most small-scale farmers.
These shortfalls, they say, will likely pose serious challenges to farmers the next growing season as government’s silence on the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) leaves them waiting for another season with less hope for the future.
A 50-kilogramme (kg) bag of fertiliser is currently fetching between K145 000 and K155 000 and on the other hand, maize seed prices are hovering between K120 000 and K140 000 per 10kg, a situation that will force small-scale farmers to dig deeper into their pockets.
In a written response yesterday, Mwapata Institute executive director William Chadza said the rising cost of inputs will also result in a reduction in the number of small-scale farmers accessing improved technologies.
“This provides an opportunity for farmers to seriously accelerate diversification by gradually moving into commodities that may not require higher levels of investment in terms of inorganic fertilisers, such as groundnuts and other legumes,” he said.
Agriculture policy analyst Tamani Nkhono-Mvula said smallholder farmers depend on support from government, mostly through the AIP, and loans through National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef) and Agriculture Commercialisation (Agcom).
He said: “Smallholder farmers in Malawi have not reached a situation of independence where they can make decisions to procure inputs on the market because prices for these inputs are going up when purchasing power is going down.
“With challenges of drought last year, production was very low, meaning that what farmers have in terms of the yield, would not be able to liquidate them into money so that they are able to buy inputs.”
Nkhono-Mvula said the challenge was huge, but noted that the silence on the AIP was even more worrisome for farmers.
“It seems we are having a huge investment in the subsidy programme but we are getting very little out of it. One of the reasons AIP is not being announced could be that there are no resources for it.
“With the campaign going on, it seems most resources are going towards supporting these campaign processes. Use hybrid organic fertilisers, or go back to using traditional seeds because options are limited,” he said.
Agriculture economist Steven Kayira said the rising cost of inputs, coupled with stagnant incomes, presents a double challenge for smallholder farmers.
He said: “It increases the cost of production at a time when profit margins are already slim. For majority of smallholder farmers, this means reduced input use, smaller cultivated land, and in turn lower yields.
“This traps farmers in the low productivity and income poverty cycle. Uncertainty surrounding the AIP disrupts farmers’ planning. Yields are maximised with timely decisions on input acquisition, land preparation, and planting schedules.”
Kayira urged smallholder farmers to shift towards more affordable yet efficient technologies such as intercropping, organic soil amendments, diversifying crops and locally adapted seed varieties.
Meanwhile, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources director of research and outreach Sam Katengeza has urged farmers to look at other options like Mbeya fertiliser, saying, with only two bags of inorganic fertiliser, they can make 10 bags of Mbeya organic fertiliser.
“This will be enough for roughly five acres. Assuming each farmer has one acre, it means five farmers can contribute roughly K60 000 each and buy two bags of inorganic fertiliser to make 10 bags of Mbeya. They will share two bags each and on their one acre piece of land.
“Organic manure also has other benefits like soil moisture retention in case of dry spells in addition to organic matter and soil fertility enhancement,” he said.
Katengeza also said maize and legume intercropping enhances soil fertility, increases moisture retention, and minimizes the use of inorganic fertiliser.
Meanwhile, Farmers Union of Malawi president Maness Nkhata said escalating prices of farm inputs will affect farmers’ ability to apply fertilisers at recommended rates.
She said the increased prices of seed will worsen the situation as farmers will be forced to use recycled seed that is less productive and more prone to pest and disease infestation.
Said Nkhata: “Amidst these challenges and uncertainties, we advise farmers to plan this season as if there is no AIP. They should have some savings from the sale of their crops and buy some inputs for the coming season.
“Farmers should also start making compost manure and mbeya fertilisers to cover for the shortfalls that may result from the high cost of fertiliser.”
So far, the Ministry of Agriculture have not commented on the concerns, but last week Wednesday during a whistlestop rally at Mpherembe in Mzimba, President Lazarus Chakwera said fertiliser has started arriving in the country.
He said they will soon announce how government plans to manage the inputs so that farmers get them in good time.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show that the country continues to lose about 29 metric tonnes (MT) of soil per hectare each year, a situation which reduces the expected yield from six to between one and two MT of maize yield per hectare.
