Minister impressed withAIP progress in Chiradzulu
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale says he is impressed with the progress made in the implementation of the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) in Chiradzulu District where he said most beneficiaries have redeemed fertiliser.
He said this yesterday when he toured Chiradzulu Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) depot to appreciate how the selling of subsidised fertiliser is going on in the district.
Kawale said he was happy to see the depots fully stocked with fertiliser, adding that government will ensure that people have access to affordable farm inputs.
He said: “We have heard from clerks, councillors and the member of Parliament (MP) that AIP is progressing well in Chiradzulu.
“I am happy that almost everyone bought fertiliser and we have so much stock in the warehouses where clerks are waiting for people to buy.”
Kawale said government expects a lot of farmers to have good harvest this year, saying all the challenges that marred AIP were resolved.
Chiradzulu Central MP McTimes Malowa said out of 1 900 AIP beneficiaries in the constituency, 85 percent have accessed their fertiliser and is optimistic that the remaining 15 percent will buy the commodity because the depots are fully stocked.
He said: “Going forward, we want to urge government to consider registering AIP beneficiaries based on village head areas instead of group village heads.
“This will ensure that every village has enough beneficiaries because the number of beneficiaries was low in other villages.”
Group village head Mbalame commended government for ensuring that people in his area have access to affordable farm inputs.
He appealed to government to consider increasing the number of beneficiaries in the next farming season to ensure food security at household level.
