MPs applaud JB govt for maintaining subsidy program

: Members of Parliament have commended government for maintaining the Farm Input Subsidy Program initially started by the late president Bingu wa Mutharika.

This comes after the Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) has been given the highest amount of K40.6 billion out of the K68 billion allocated to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, for the purchase of 150,000 metric tonnes of Fertilizer to be distributed to 1.5 million families at a price of K500 per bag.

Speaking in the House, Member of Parliament for Lilongwe North East, Maxwell Thyolera said government has taken a good initiative by maintaining the subsidy program which shows that the People’s Party led government puts the welfare of people at heart.

He said the K500 price per bag is a very fair amount which a lot of poor Malawians can afford.

“With the subsidy program, we are assured that people in villages will be able to buy a bag of fertilizer to boost their agriculture products thus have something to eat at the end of the day,” Thyolera said.

Concurring with Thyolera, member of Parliament for Blantyre Kabula, Felix Njawala said what government has done is commendable.

He however, asked his fellow members of parliament to take an initiative to ensure that the subsidy program is improved and there is no corruption when it comes to the distribution of fertilizer.

“The subsidy program is for the poor, thus we have to make sure that beneficiaries of the program are really the poor if poverty and hunger are to be eradicated,” Njawala said.

Njawala: Hail government

Member of Parliament, for Mzimba Solola, Akimu Mwanza however cautioned government on the way the subsidy program is to be handled.

He said though it is commendable that the government has maintained the subsidy program, it has to put in place strong measures to ensure that the price still remains at K500 considering the devaluation of the Kwacha.

“Devaluation of the Kwacha will make it hard for the government to sustain the program thus a need for strong measures if the price of K500 is to be maintained,” Mwanza said.

Within the Farm Input Subsidy Program, K7.6 billion has been provided for the procurement of Maize and legume seeds for distribution to smallholder farmers across the country.

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