According to a presser from Secretary for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Mrs Erica Maganga, His Excellency, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, the President of the Republic of Malawi through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has allocated MK14.5 billion towards the seed component of the 2015/2016 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP).
According to the Presser, Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development will issue out the coupons that will enable 1.5 million beneficiaries to access the following improved seeds:
• 5 Kg of either hybrid or OPV
• Either 2Kg of groundnuts, beans, cowpeas and pigeon peas or 3Kg of soya bean.
The Ministry further informs the general public that the farmer contribution towards legume seed component remains MK500 per pack as earlier announced while the contribution towards maize seed has been adjusted upwards from MK1,000 to MK1,500 per pack.
The presser continued to say each beneficiary of the Programme will also access two bags of NPK and Urea fertilizer and will contribute MK3,500 per bag.
The Ministry would like to call upon the farming community to effectively utilize the valuable inputs for increased agricultural productivity.
The subsidy programme was the brain Child of President Peter Mutharika’s older brother Bingu WA Mutharika. During President Bingu WA Mutharika’s first term in office (2004–2008), the country achieved a high rate of agricultural production and food security.
The President’s initiatives, centred on a programme of agricultural subsidy, benefited approximately 1,700,000 resource poor smallholder farmers. In the 2005/2006 crop season, Malawi achieved a food surplus of more than 500,000 metric tons. During the 2008/2009 planting season, food surpluses topped 1.3 million metric tons. This agricultural policy was widely regarded as successful but expensive.
