Mtambo pleased with AIP redemption rate

The 2022 Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) Task Force member Timothy Mtambo has expressed satisfaction with the redemption rate of fertliser in Chitipa and Karonga districts.

He said this on Saturday at Kasoba in Paramount Chief Kyungu in Karonga District after a two-day tour which took him to Chitipa on Friday where he witnessed the arrival of fertiliser delivered by Malawi Defence Force trucks.

Mtambo, who is also Minister of National Unity, visited the two districts to appreciate challenges people were facing to redeem fertiliser due to congestion and alleged corruption in AIP selling points.

“Having received 10 trucks of fertiliser in Chitipa for Nthalire and having visited some selling points in both Chitipa and Karonga districts, I am impressed with the progress so far,” he said.

Chitipa district director of agriculture, environment and natural resources Hastings Nyirongo said redemption rate of NPK fertiliser was at 50 percent.

On the other hand, Karonga district director of agriculture, environment and natural resources Raphael Mkisi said plans were under way to open more markets to ease congestion.

“We plan to introduce mobile markets to scale up the redemption rate which is at 72 percent for NPK fertiliser, 70 percent for seeds and seven percent for Urea fertiliser,” he said.

The programme is targeting 2 269 households in Chitipa and 32 814 households in Karonga.