in the previous years, the 2014/2015 Fertilizer Input Subsidy programme (FISP) seems to have registered success story as 90.6 percent of the farmers have received the subsidized fertilizer.
A visit to various districts in the central region indicated that a good number of farmers have received the commodity while others continue to flock to the designated markets to get their bags.
Speaking to journalists who toured Dowa and Salima Districts, FISP Deputy National Coordinator, Osbourne Tsoka said despite that the whole process started late, a remarkable progress has been made.
Tsoka said about 135,829 of 150,000 metric tons of NPK and Urea fertilizer were dispatched to various markets across the country representing 90.6 percent which was not the case last year.
“As you might be aware the FISP programme was launched in October and it has taken us a month to make such a success. As I am talking to you, we are making the very last dispatches and we hope to finish the whole distribution and selling processes by December end,” Tsoka explained.
He however credited the desirable progress to the cooperation that existed between the ministry, the suppliers, transporters and the marketing agencies such as ADMARC and Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM)
“I also have to commend farmers for their cooperation with the marketing officers and for adopting the system of buying by village which has reduced incidences of corruption as only the valid beneficiaries are the ones who were allowed to buy monitored by the chiefs and their subjects.
“Further to that, buying by village has also helped in reducing congestion in all the markets,” the coordinator said.
This year, 1.5 Million farmers are expected to benefit from the fertilizer subsidy programme.
Davie Mwanjasi, Marketing Officer for Mponela ADMARC Deport revealed to journalists that all the fertilizer which was allocated to the market had been sold to the farmers as of Monday December 22.
He acknowledged improvement in the way the programme had been handled this year while calling for more systems apart from buying by village which has managed to arrest some of the challenges faced in the implementation of the programme previously.
“We had an allocation of 150 metric tons Urea and 150 metric tons NPK and I can confidently disclose that we have finished selling to the farmers who registered,” Mwamnjasi said.
Martha Banda, Madisi ADMARC Unit Marketing Officer concurred with Mwanjasi by describing this year’s programme a success.
“I was given 100 metric tons of Urea as well as 100 metric tons of NPK and today am selling the very last consignment to the last village,” she explained.
Elled Hedson of Sanga Village TA Kalonga in Salima hailed government for expediting the distribution and selling exercise as well as for implementing the buying by village system which she said has enabled everyone in the Village to access the cheap fertilizer this year.
“Last year we really got the coupons but we were unable to procure fertilizer as we were told our package had been exhausted yet as beneficiaries we had nothing. This year, things seem to be different everyone from my village has received the fertilizer,” Hedson explained with hope to harvest bumper yield.
Meanwhile, according to Village Headman Sanga, a committee has been established to ensure that no one sells the cheap fertilizer.
“We are on alert and one found selling fertilizer to vendors will be punished severe and also removed from the beneficiary list,” the chief said.
Fertilizer subsidy programme was initially introduced in the country in 2005 to enable poor Malawians access the cheap fertilizer and in turn improve crop production at household level.
Since its inception, Malawi has not imported maize crop which agricultural specialists have described as a sign of improved food security and social economic development.
