Chakwera issues stern warning to fertiliser suppliers
President Lazarus Chakwera has warned unscrupulous suppliers that might want to be involved in corruption acts in this year’s Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
He made the remarks on Saturday during the launch of the AIP at Pirimiti Boys Primary School ground in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mwambo in Zomba.
The President urged all suppliers to follow all terms and conditions of their contracts.
“Corruption is unethical. This malpractice will not be tolerated in this programme and my government will not hesitate to terminate the contract for those that will be caught doing so.Let us all work together despite this programme being a brain child of government,” Chakwera said.
“Reaching this far as Malawians,we should change our mindset of trying to benefit more from government programmes at the expense of the poor. Let us transform this country together,” he added.
Minister of Agriculture, Lobin Lowe advised beneficiaries of the AIP to use the inputs for intended purpose.
He said that the purchase of the commodities started immediately after the launch in some districts.
“I am calling on farmers expected to benefit from this programme not to sell the inputs because doing so is like selling their own right to food.
“Beneficiaries should use the inputs purposefully otherwise government’s intended goal of attaining food self-sufficiency at household and national levels would remain a dream,” Lowe said.
This year, the Ministry of Agriculture cleared some 87 companies to start supplying low-priced fertilizer to subsistence farmers in the new AIP.
The AIP targets 4.2 million smallholder farmerswith each beneficiary receiving one 50 kgs bag of NPK; one 50 kgs bag of UREA; a pack of either 5kgs maize seed or 7kgssorghum or 7kgsof rice.
Under the programme farmers are expected to pay K4, 495.00 for a bag of fertilizer and K2, 000 per pack of cereal seed.
In the 2020/2021 National Budget, government allocated K160 billion for the AIP.
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The problem Nyau group has is that they will not engage in a clean debate but rash into katakana. Those are signs of acceptance and typical of MCP. If anything, others are trying to assist your myopic practices and you think your champions in everything. Bottomline line is that no matter how clever or adamant, arrogant you might be, in a few years time we will once again go to the polls. Each person and party will be put on the scale in order to determine performance. Inu dziomberani bibi m’manja as usual kuzolowera kuombera dzinyau. President kuganiza ngati chairman… Read more »
Inu ndachidzete zedidi ati. Simunamve kuti 4.2 million familes with an average of 4 people per family ndiye kuti tapanga cover 16.8 million people. Apa ndipoti pomwe bulutu ngati iwe sukumvetsa? Unathawira pawindo sukulu? Pitanso ukayimbe sukulu chidzete iwe. Inu mufuna boma lidzikugulirani nsima? Mufa nayo simunati, Gwirani ntchito molimbika nokha simudzafuna za mahala kuchokera kuboma. Good job Tonse Alliance. Uchila koma mochedwa Martin Taylor chigoba.
be civilised.
This doesn’t make sense at all. The population of Malawi is 18 million, the AIP projected figures is 4.2 million going to poor families; that leaves approximately 13.8 which is regarded as the rich. My question is: since when has Malawians had the wealth outnumbering the poor? The circus as presented by the alliance will never cease to amaze me. Why can’t the leadership admit that their sham plans are crumbling even before inception? When are poor Malawians take a breather from lies from unscrupulous crime prone politicians? Just listening from the speech made by the President obviously shows that… Read more »
You are one of the poorest people in this country by your own choice, you like politics which will not take anywhere, from today start working hard so that you cab help your parents, stop drinking gondolosi. Leave this Government to run its affairs, what is wrong with you? Muchedwa nazo izi! if you think you are clever as you are trying to be, work hard! work hard! work hard! and work smart!
I don’t blame you but your teacher. So this how you used to solve maths problems at school?