Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Roza Fatchi Mbilizi says government will implement key reforms in the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) before its official rollout.
The minister said this yesterday in Lilongwe on the sidelines of the launch of the distribution of farm inputs under the Resource Mobilisation Initiative in the Lilongwe Agricultural Development Division, an initiative supported by One Acre Fund and other implementing partners.
Her remarks come amid criticism that the input subsidy programme has failed to achieve its intended objectives of reducing hunger.
Between 2020 and 2025, government spent about K690 billion on the programme, which was designed to achieve food security by providing subsidised farm inputs to vulnerable households. However, during the period, taxpayers also shouldered K873 billion in food bill to feed 9.8 million food-insecure people.
Mbilizi said government is committed to reforming the subsidy programme to address its long standing challenges while assuring farmers that inputs will be distributed on time.
Said Mbilizi: “We will surely distribute farm inputs under the subsidy programme, but in a very different way.
“Farmers should not be
anxious as they will be able to access inputs in good time this year.”
Asked whether the number of beneficiaries would remain at 1.5 million as indicated in the 2025/26 National Budget, Mbilizi said the figure would likely be reviewed.
She said: “The actual number of beneficiaries will depend on the availability of funds.”
Speaking about the Resource Mobilisation Initiative, which encourages farmers to pool funds for input purchases, Mbilizi asked suppliers to reduce prices for farmer groups.
One Acre Fund government and relations policy manager Lovemore Mtsitsi said under the initiative, the organisation provides inputs on credit, which farmers repay over an agreed period.
“Farmers register in groups of between 10 and 25 people, indicate the type of inputs they need and pay an upfront amount of about 10 percent of their loan value,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mercy Chilembwe, said the payment model has made it easier for smallholder farmers to access inputs.
Of the K7 billion mobilised for the initiative, One Acre Fund has contributed about K5 billion, while 20 000 farmers in the Lilongwe ADD have made K1.5 billion in total upfront payments.
Nationwide, the programme targets 175 000 beneficiaries with a total budget of K52
