Fertiliser price K4 495  targetted for 3.5 million smallholder farmers, 2 bags each

New Minister of Finance, Felix Mlusu has announced that 3.5 million smallholder farmers will benefit from the new government subsidised fertilizer programme in the 2020 to 2021 financial year.

Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu presents the provisional Budget in the Chamber-pic by Lisa Kadango
Government benches cheers

During campaign, President Lazarus Chakwera and  Vice-President Saulos Chilima, promised to reduce fertiliser prices to K4 495 per 50 kilogramme bag.

At times the energetic Chilima lifted a 50 kilogramme bag of fertiliser  to demonstrate that it will be a universal fertiliser subsidy.

But when he presented a provisional budget totalling K722.4billion which parliament subsequently adopted to fund government operations from July to October 2020, Mlusu indicated it is a targeted subsidy as it were.

He said each farmer would be able allowed to buy at least two bags of fertilizers at K4,495.00 per  bag in the 2020 to 2021 financial year.

Asked on how the government would be able to fund the fertilizer subsidy in midst of dwindling revenue collection, the Minister said government would prioritise the subsidy because it would benefit many Malawians.

“We are making some savings and obviously, we are going to move some funds from non priority areas to fund that because obviously the fertilizers and all the farm inputs; that is a priority because it affects the majority of the people that we want to carter for.

“And all the savings we make are going to go towards the cost of fertilizer,” he hinted.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Spokesperson on Finance, Joseph Mwanamvekha said although a provisional budget does not carry too many details he was looking forward to the new government fulfilling the promises it made to Malawians during the campaign period.

He said he was optimistic that the new Minister of Finance whom he described as a balanced person would keep his word having worked with him in the private sector.

The other highlights in the budget include the increasing of the tax free band from K45, 000 to K 100,000 and the revision of minimum wage from K35,000.00 a month to K50,000.

Parliament has since adjourned sine die.

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69 replies on “Fertiliser price K4 495  targetted for 3.5 million smallholder farmers, 2 bags each”

  1. its unforunate kuti tayamba kusintha magolo game itayamba. these people are one and the same. Kome on a serious note the message was not, to benefit a particular group. When will politicians learn to say the truth before election? i am disappointed.
    Zanthito zija ndiye kuti mmanamanso. Mulungu akulangeni mwa nsanga..

  2. Hope we are have a place to farm, or we will be able to help our relatives to buy fertiliser at such little price. We will still be roaming around in the towns and cities looking for peace work and nothing changes in the next 5 years. If the person is allowed only 2 bags what if he wants more, what will be the price. More poor people will be used to buy fertiliser for the well to o bringing abuse in it. Who will refuse to be given a little something to buy fertiliser for someone in theirs word thinking like Malawi.

  3. zitha kutheka titayamba kukondana osati kupondana monga ambili tinangol9werera corruption
    presidents
    ministers
    mps
    ps
    chiefs
    heads of parastatals
    everyone was corrupting – mindset.
    if we stick to the spirit of what we voted for then YES WE CAN MAKE THINGS CHANGE AND WORK.

    A DPP BWEZANI ZOMWE MUNABA BASI

  4. A Malawi Chilima simukamudziwa eti? Wakuyeretsani mmaso. Tsogolo lowala lija ndi limeli. Lafikatu. Anyamata akabanza amafuna kuphwanya galimoto langa anga ayamba kubangula. Amaona ngati asiya kutchova njinga nkukalowa mu office. Lero ati akuyembekedzera 1 million jobs. Haaaa. Kalanga ine! Ikanakhala DPP bwenzi Mtambo ndi Trapence ali pa nseu. Iwo zawo zayenda. Ndi awo awathokoza a satanic anzawowo kuti may gay ndi ma lesbian atsangalala tsono. What nywekhwe in first three fdays!

  5. Can someone please explain to me how this is different from FISP. I hope they won’t produce coupons because now that will be FISP lite

  6. Ha ha, from Universal to Targeted, Mbusa wabodza Chakwela. Amupinda Saulosi KKKK

  7. If you failed to do simple and practical issues like universal subsidy what about 1Million Jobs, OK .

    1. This is a universal subsidy. How many farming households do you have in Malawi?

  8. Now from UNIVERSAL TO TARGETED 3,5 MILLION SMALLHOLDER FARMERS.These people are foolish,they lied to us that it would be universal,today they have changed the tune sure.These are greedy people who want to loot our government funds now through this programe.Namachende Chakwera and Mwana wahule Chilima are not straight at all.They lied to us and now they say this.This is the starting point of blandering.

    1. Day 5 of 5 years.

      Add in at least 4 re-elections. TONSE will be in power for the foreseeable future woyeee

      Mutopa ikamafika September then the defections will start. Fun to watch. Feeling good about everything that is happening.

      Viva Chakwera!

  9. So whats the formality to ensure i have my 2bags ?
    please tell us ?
    Is this the universal Subsidy you told us 🙆

  10. People should be using National ID Cards and not to register with the Village Headmen to avoid corruption.

  11. Truth be told most of the promises under UTM manifesto were just for populist purposes and realistically not easy to implement…there is just no way Malawi can have universal subsidy on fertilizer. Next timve za Tax holiday timva kuti okhawo adzifika pa border 2am ndi amene adzikhala ndi Tax waiver…aMalawi ingolimbani mtima ma BUT sanati

  12. 3.5 million families aliyense ali ndi ana 3 on average. Ana 10.5 million total 14 million people. 4 million yotsalayo akagula okha kapena samalima. Mmafuna muzigula chisawawa, muzikagulitsa ku zambia ndi ku mocambique?

    1. And pa 4 millionpo ndi amayi ndi abambo so essentially 2 million farming families. we have excess of 1.5 million families to access the subsidy. Ndizotheka ndithu

  13. This is good news. I assume wife can go with ID and get 2 bags, husband can go later and get his 2 bag allocation. The couple will have 4 bags. That is enough to assist most farmers in rural areas. The fertilizers price reduction was never targeted at commercial farmers, but individuals.

    Looking forward to great harvest in 2020!

  14. Mwayamba bodza just a week from Election Day. You were telling us that the cheap fertilizer will be for everyone and not targeting a number of farmers just like what dpp was saying for 1million people ( farmers). Now today you are telling us you are targeting 3.5m farmers. Nanga enafe? Remember that I gave Tonse Alliance my vote so that nane ndizikalima kwathu ku Nauchi uku applying cheap fertilizers. Oh my God!!! Mwanamiza anthu abale Inu. No please make it cheaper fertilizer for every one who wants to work in the garden. Kodi munkanamiza A Malawi kani!!!! Chauta akuona

    1. What makes you think you are not in the 3.5 million. It is an estimate, not a list of people.

    2. Masamu athu anawonetsa kuti amene angathe kulima agula fertilizer ndipo alipo wokwana an estimated number ya 3.5 million.

    3. Just take your National ID, ukagula ndithu. Sadanene kuti iweyo siukagula. Kodi kusazimvetsa zinthu anthu akamalankhula bwanji. 17 million + total population sindiye kuti onse ndi alimi. Enawo ndi ana anu pa total number imeneyo omwe sangalime, alibenso munda. Ndiye mumafuna onsewo akagule fertiliser yo cholinga kuti muzikagulitsa? Pang’ono pang’ono muchila ndithu.

  15. Amalawi mulikuti kkkk kuzasambitsidwa chokweza loyamba. Govt is serious business sitimangolemba manifesto ngati ukulemba essay yaku college. Two days down the line mwaonekela kuti mumana Ife tizichinga basi waiting kuti tiusileni mkwiyo wa amalawi nanunso

  16. There are 14million farmers in Malawi. If you are going to serve 3.5million farmers with fertilizer, then that subsidy is TARGETED and not universal as you promised. What kind of ukathyali is this inu a UTMCP? Kodi mukuwona ngati ndife zitsiru? Fotseki!.

    1. 14 million farmers are you serious. Please be real. The population of Malawi is 18 million and assuming on average each family has 5 people thus father, mother and three children (I know a lot families have more than three children) we should expect to have 3.6 million families. Now, consider that +/- a million of these families are in town working, this brings us to around 2.6 million farmers. The targeted 3.5 million is more than enough. Also considering that those who voted Tonse are 2.6 million we have more than enough kkkkkkk.

      Another point, panopa ndalama za universal subsidy zichoka kuti abale. There is currently not enough cash at the account number one as it has been massively stolen. Tonse tikudziwa that just before announcing results the social media was awash with stories of billions being syphoned from RBM. Other areas of the economy should not suffer coz all the money has gone towards foteleza? Lets just wait zimenezi zitheka. Ulendo umayamba ndi sitepe imodzi ndiye apa tauyamba. Remember Rome was not built in a day.

    2. Are your children farmers? i.e. Below 18 years??? Farmers in Malawi are less than 2 million.

      1. We were promised universal fertiliser. Period. Anything less is cheating. Abuse atinamiza. Where is HRDC?

  17. Tonse Alliances, we need universal subsidy. Musanene za only two bags and then targeting smallholder farmers. Noooo. The smallholder farmers have already failed us in the past 50 years. We need commercial farmers to produce enough for the country and export market. Malawi should not condone this move chifukwa kutero anthuwa azingotinamiza.

  18. Talemba m’madzitu apa? From universal subsidy to targeted inputs. 2 bags per farm family. Reversal of fortunes!

  19. Guys your promises were clear and this?? Don’t make me believe this they call judicial coup whatever

  20. We voted for cheaper fertilizer. What are we goin to do with 2 bags? Kapena mwaona kuti bodza lija silitheka? Ngati mwayamba kusintha pano, ndiye Electric train ija itheka ku nchesi, Biwi , Kawale, ndi Area 18? Bwana Kachale, can I retrieve my vote back?

  21. You said everyone would buy fertilizer at K4495 so keep your promise. Do not start changing now. Two bags? How are we going to grow 5 acres with two bags? Mwayamba kale bodza? Not everyone is a registered small holder farmer. Do not disappoint Malawians who just voted for you!

  22. It was obvious that it would be impossible to implement the universal subsidy through which every one would access the bag. The Reverend has already started lying to the Malawian people to whom he promised to serve in holy fear.

  23. Kwachaaaàa mwasanga bwanji. Nenani momveka bwino a Nyasatimes kuti pa ma tumba awiliwa limodzi ndi okulitsa linalo obeleketsa. Amene timathila ma tumba folo , awili enawo tisomva . Chifukwa tikavutatu Ku shop uthenga unja unali omveka bwino kuti fertilizer 4, 450 panalibepo ma but. Mutitenga Ife anthu akumudzi ngati opanda mzeru? Ndiye panja munalonjezanso tax free week, tisamve ma because kumeneko ndiye zivuta. Panja lonjezo linadulitsa mutu wa yohane

  24. Good that people can see for themselves that they were conned. They never listened when they were told that that was a populist policy Malawi cannot afford.

  25. WHAT A LIE. You went around telling people fertiliser was to be bought at K4, 575. Now you want people to first fall into the category of smallholder farmers.

  26. Some of us knew that this was a total lie. Malawi cannot afford a universal subsidy. In fact, this one will lead to HEAVY borrowing. Already one-third of the provisional budget is borrowing. We are going towards unsustainable debt levels.

    1. Its Not a Lie. Go and buy, apply it to your garden and yield more bags compare it to the past!!!!!!

  27. That’s why APM wangokhala chete akufuna titengelepo phunzilo iyeyu suti mukampeza ku Agora ayi…..

  28. Okay…. Zilipo ndithu zaka zake nzino. Nde Amalawi muziti munasegula Maso….. Nde apatu kukungocha kumene. …… Ine koma Stands watching the game from a far. 2 bags per farmers. Nanga amafuna atatu azigula pa bwanji wachitatuyo?

  29. Wtf. Are we already being conned in 2 days?. If indeed you say you are people of integrity please do what is right and what you promised. These Bakili Muluzi kind of politics will haunt you in 2025. Munanamiza alimi afodya ndi ena that there’s a universal subsidy and now you are shifting goal posts. Mulungu achite nanu ndithu

    1. i agree with you that the promice was universal but are you honest enough that you want to judge thi goverment within two days into office,if you the dpp was doing it to 1 million farmers and we ar e saying to each household in the first year and check us when the full budget comes.lets not rush nto conclusion.

      1. Ife sitinavote but when the Reverend said he is a man of integrity I honestly believed him. Now what is this. A lie is anything apart from the truth and these people are liars

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