Governmentout to fill AIP gaps
In a bid to meet fertiliser demand amid revelations that just 30 percent of the commodity under Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) has been redeemed, Ministry of Agriculture has stepped up measures to fill supply gaps.
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale said in an interview after touring some selling points in Mzimba North East on Thursday that some of the fertiliser under AIP was bought from local private traders, but could not disclose the tonnage.
He took a swipe at some people whom he said were misinforming farmers that the country does not have enough fertiliser stocks as government was relying on donations.
Kawale said: “The budget has K109 billion for AIP, out of which K97.5 billion is meant for fertiliser. So, we have bought the fertiliser equivalent of K97.5 billion.
“In addition, we have fertiliser from World Food Programme (WFP), then another which we are blending from the Government of Morocco.
“Let us not forget that those people buying fertiliser are also contributing money which is also going towards the same purpose. People think we don’t have fertiliser in the country, but I can tell you that we have so much fertiliser in the country because all companies from where we are purchasing the inputs have enough stock for both AIP and other farmers buying privately.”
He said some of the fertiliser is in Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) warehouses and another stock is in warehouses of companies where it was procured.
Kawale said: “So, from SFFRFM we go to the warehouses of these companies to get the fertiliser and send it to selling points.
“We have enough fertiliser in the country, including the one being blended which will culminate in 52 000 metric tonnes and the one from WFP.”
Fertiliser Association of Malawi executive administrator Mbawaka Phiri confirmed in an interview Saturday that Ministry of Agriculture bought some fertiliser locally, but could also not tell the tonnage.
She also said the private sector did not have as much fertiliser as in the previous farming seasons due to price volatility on the international market and foreign exchange shortage in the country.
Phiri said: “Given the price situation globally, fertiliser is more expensive this year, and in addition, there is also the forex issue that prevented a lot of our companies from importing. So, generally, we do have less fertiliser than a normal year.
“However, there is some fertiliser available for those who can afford. Government has been able to procure from local companies, although it is up to them to disclose which companies they bought from and at how much.”
She said going forward government and its partners need to work together to ensure availability of fertiliser for the 2023/24 farming season to avoid the current situation.
The AIP, which is Tonse Alliance’s flagship campaign promise, is currently marred by numerous irregularities, including bribery, missing names of beneficiaries, shortage of commodities, network glitches and few outlets for SFFRFM, the sole designated distributor.
Earlier, Farmers Union of Malawi chief executive officer Jacob Nyirongo said AIP delays would lead to low maize yield this year.
He said: “The delays are costly as government has spent money on the farm inputs and yet output will be lower due to late application of fertilisers.
“At the current rate of fertiliser redemption, there is a high likelihood that most farmers will not access the fertilisers this season which may have a negative impact on food security, nutrition and income.”
In the 2022/23 season, the number of AIP beneficiaries was reduced to 2.5 million from 3.7 million the previous season.
