DPP Moves Swiftly to Preempt Chakwera’s 7pm Fertiliser Announcement, Reveals K95,000 Price but Dismisses as Empty Promise
As President Lazarus Chakwera prepares to announce the new fertiliser prices at 7 PM today, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has beaten him to the punch, revealing that the intended price for a 50kg bag of fertiliser would be K92,500.
Speaking at a press briefing in Blantyre, DPP official Sameer Suleman warned that even this reduced price remains too high for most Malawians, who continue to struggle to afford it. Suleman challenged President Chakwera to clearly state during his address whether the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) — the government’s subsidised fertiliser scheme — will actually be maintained or terminated.
In many parts of the country, fertiliser is still being sold for no less than K150,000 per bag, far above the K4,000 promised under the 2019 AIP initiative — a figure that never materialised for most farmers.
DPP strategists also seized the moment to critique the MCP government, with spokespersons Ben Phiri and Mary Navitcha pointing to previous broken promises by the ruling party. Phiri noted that DPP had learned lessons from past missteps, including administrative errors such as incorrectly registering vehicles under political names, while Navitcha said the party had corrected other policy mistakes already. Party spokesman Shadreck Namalomba expressed confidence that DPP would win the 16 September elections.
Suleman further indicated that if DPP wins, it would end the current AIP scheme and replace it with a fertiliser policy modelled on successful programs in Kenya and Tanzania. He accused Chakwera of seeking cheap political gains by promising lower fertiliser prices tonight, while distributing fertiliser that does not conform to AIP regulations.
According to DPP, the AIP scheme previously promised fertiliser at K15,000 per bag — a far cry from the K90,000-plus prices that have now emerged for the current supplies.
The party also attacked the MCP government over a host of issues, including mismanagement of state resources, unfulfilled infrastructure promises such as the Nsanje railway, and poor oversight of fertiliser distribution. Suleman argued that the current hunger crisis in Malawi is deliberately being used to make citizens dependent on political leaders, and promised that a DPP government would prioritise hunger eradication and reforms in fuel distribution, empowering bodies like PPDA to manage imports effectively.
Meanwhile, DPP women’s leader Mary Navitcha warned that MCP officials will face accountability if the party loses on 16 September. She urged Malawians not to be swayed by Chakwera’s fertiliser announcement, insisting that lowering prices alone will not resolve the deeper economic problems facing the country.
Suleman is right by saying that,, Mcp leader is over promising and he doesn’t have even proper direction to fullfill promises, I like Dpp leadership he doesn’t believe in promises he believes in actions.