October 15, 2022
Owen Khamula – Nyasa Times 2 Comments
A London based economic think-tank, Legatum Institute has advised the Chakwera administration to abandon Affordable Input Programme (AIP) and focus on extension services for smallholder farming to improve food productivity.
This is one of the recommendations in its research report on Malawi under the title: Pathways to Prosperity.
Director of Policy Stephen Brien
This comes barely days President Dr Lazarus Chakwera said recently at a rally that subsidies are not helping Malawians and indicated the government was slowly moving away from AIP.
According to the institute’s Director of Policy Stephen Brien, investing in smallholder farming is more beneficial as it would involve more farmers.
Meanwhile, Brien is suggesting that the government also work on strengthening its anti-corruption drive, to have funds protected and be utilised for intended purposes.
Uncertainty surrounds this year’s AIP with the government yet to start processes amid revelations that an international company has swindled Capital millions of kwacha meant for purchase of fertilizer for the initiative.
The best economic ideas cannot be effectively implemented unless politics is removed from economics. The AIP initiative was effective in its initial phase when the intended beneficiaries were targeted. This was supposed to be a bridging strategy to successive advanced economic development strategies. However, the vision was lost along the way. The suggested extension service drive is good but it is based on assumptions. 1. That Extension workers are willing and able to work in remote areas and are provided with resources. 2. That Farmers are provided with affordable farm input. It will be useless to train a farmer who… Read more »
National Planning Commission (NPC) has disclosed that the prevailing multiple challenges of forex shortages, fiscal deficit and unsustainable debt are...
The best economic ideas cannot be effectively implemented unless politics is removed from economics. The AIP initiative was effective in its initial phase when the intended beneficiaries were targeted. This was supposed to be a bridging strategy to successive advanced economic development strategies. However, the vision was lost along the way. The suggested extension service drive is good but it is based on assumptions. 1. That Extension workers are willing and able to work in remote areas and are provided with resources. 2. That Farmers are provided with affordable farm input. It will be useless to train a farmer who… Read more »
AIP is not helping us significantly