Ministry claims AIP hurdles cleared

Ministry of Agriculture claims that the challenges that rocked implementation of the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) have been rectified and the programme is running as planned.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, the ministry’s AIP coordinator Justin Kagona said while there were challenges in the programme, the government has so far resolved most of them.

He said: “Of course, we had issues of processing speed in early December 2022, but that problem was resolved through increasing resources for our server and separate paths of sending pictures and transaction text to the server. Ever since, we have not experienced network issues.”

Kagona’s sentiments follow a Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) statement last week that highlighted some of the major challenges rocking the programme.

FUM, among other problems, cited network challenges, ambiguous beneficiaries list, few and remotely placed selling points, stock-outs and low restocking rates, lack of top-dressing fertilisers, and corruption by sellers as major challenges rocking the programme.

But Kagona said names of all the 2.5 million beneficiaries, identified through farmer organisations they belong to, were screened before the start of the programme.

He also said the ministry through Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) was selling fertiliser through established shop structures and mobile retailing, which he said is mostly used now because it reduces distance farmers travel.

But Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) chairperson Herbert Chagona feared that the late distribution of the inputs would result in the country experiencing another food shortage.

He said: “Everyone can see that things are not working. In my opinion, I would rate this year’s AIP implementation at 30 percent out of 100. It is worrisome.”

Last week, FUM asked the government to urgently address challenges in the AIP, arguing the situation threatens food security.

In a statement signed by FUM expressed worry that there are few selling points in the country which are not stocked with adequate fertiliser. FUM president Mannes Nkhata,

She said due to the few selling points, farmers are travelling long distances, spending days at the selling point and spending more money to access fertiliser.

Reads the statement in part: “When the government decided that AIP fertiliser will only be distributed through SFFRFM, we doubted the capacity of SFFRFM to timely deliver fertiliser to farmers across the country.

“True to our doubts, we have noted with concern SFFRFM has only managed to sell fertiliser in few selling points located in areas that are far from most farmers thereby forcing already constrained farmers to travel long distances to access the fertiliser.” The government budgeted K109 billion for AIP in the 2022/23 National Budget which was not enough to cater for all the earmarked farmers and it has taken some donors to support the country with 92 000 metric tonnes of fertiliser.