Fisp Delays Expose Deepening Crisis for Farmers, Threaten Malawi’s Food Security

Barely half of the farmers targeted under the Farm Inputs Subsidy Programme (Fisp) have accessed their inputs—an alarming gap that experts warn could translate into poor harvests, deeper rural poverty and renewed food insecurity.

As of January 6, only 583,485 farmers—about 53 percent of the intended 1.1 million beneficiaries—had redeemed subsidised seeds and fertiliser, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. This leaves nearly half a million smallholder farmers without critical inputs at a time when crops are already at sensitive growth stages.

The figures include 223,931 male-headed households and 359,554 female-headed households, highlighting the scale of vulnerability among subsistence farmers who rely almost entirely on the programme to produce food.

Government spokesperson Salome Gangire said authorities have intensified efforts to accelerate distribution, particularly of Urea fertiliser, noting that most crops have reached the top-dressing stage. The Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has been deployed to transport fertiliser to hard-to-reach areas where private transporters are unwilling to operate due to poor road conditions.

But analysts warn that logistical improvisation at this stage may be too little, too late.

Agriculture policy analyst Tamani Nkhono Mvula cautioned that delayed access to inputs directly undermines yields, especially for farmers who cannot afford fertiliser at commercial prices.

“Fisp is not a luxury programme; it is a survival mechanism for many households,” Mvula said. “If fertiliser is delayed or fails to reach farmers altogether, the result is predictable—reduced output at household level and national level.”

He warned that timing is as critical as availability. According to Mvula, NPK fertiliser is most effective when applied shortly after maize emergence. Delays beyond that window drastically reduce its impact, and even subsequent application of Urea may fail to salvage yields.

“Once you miss that critical stage, you are essentially farming blind,” he said. “At that point, we should not talk about bumper harvests—we should be preparing for shortages.”

The implications stretch far beyond individual farmers. With maize still Malawi’s staple food, reduced production increases the risk of higher food prices, greater reliance on imports and humanitarian assistance, and worsening nutrition outcomes—especially among rural and low-income households.

Agriculture Minister Roza Mbilizi launched the 2025–26 Fisp in November last year, describing it as a cornerstone of efforts to revitalise agriculture and secure national food security. Under the programme, each beneficiary is entitled to seeds and two 50kg bags of NPK and Urea fertiliser at a subsidised price of K10,000 per bag.

However, without timely delivery, the programme’s promise risks collapsing into another costly exercise with limited impact on the ground.

As the planting season advances, the slow pace of redemption is exposing a deeper structural problem: a subsidy programme that arrives late cannot protect farmers, and a food security strategy that fails farmers ultimately fails the nation.

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