Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, says he is aware of the debate on whether to stop or continue the targeted Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) program, and he always appreciates both sides of the argument. Nankhumwa said the FISP program is a pro-poor program that aims at helping Malawians to attain […]
Government should revisit the he targeted Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) because it has not benefitted the majority poor, an academician has told the Minister of Finance, Joseph Mwanamvekha. Vice chancellor of the Lilongwe University of Natural Resources and Agriculture Professor Kanyama Phiri said during a pre-budget consultations—hosted by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and […]
Members of Parliament (MPs) have given President Peter Mutharika a stamp of approval to maintain the targeted Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) in the next five years despite calls to have the programme abolished. Since 2005, Malawi has invested about K398.6 billion in Fisp, an equivalent of a third of the K1.4 trillion national budget, raising […]
The Malawi government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, says the 2018/2019 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) closes this Friday, and that there will be no more sales of farm inputs under the project. A statement released by the Ministry, and signed by its principal secretary Gray Nyandule Phiri, posits that all […]
Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who is also UTM Party president, has promised low cost and affordable farm inputs like fertilizers once he is promoted as President of the country on May 21. Addressing a political rally on Saturday held at Matenje Community Day Secondary School ground in Salima North West Constituency of Jessie Kabwila who dumped Malawi Congress […]
Malawi Police Services in Ntchisi have arrested a government official for creating fake villages in a farm inputs subsidy scam. Police have identified the official as Salim Ndoka, district farm inputs coordinator. Ndoka is said to have created 199 villages and took all the fisp coupons for the fake villagers. He is a senior fisp […]
Malawi Police in Mchinji have arrested an agro-dealer, Mathews Phiri, 32, for allegedly misappropriating money for Demeter Agricultural Limited and being found in possession of 61 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) coupons bearing Chikwawa District serial numbers. Mchinji Police Station spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino said the suspect was arrested last week following a complaint from the […]
Irate villagers at Chiteyeye in Kasungu chased away officials from the Ministry of Agriculture when they went there to discuss issues of the Farm Input Subsidy Program (Fisp). The villagers were angry that out of the 103 people who received the inputs last year, only 26 people got the farm inputs this year. The officials […]
Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Water Development has suspended distribution and redeeming of 2018/19 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) coupons. In a statement signed by the ministry’sPrincipal Secretary Grey Nyandule Phiri said the suspension is with immediate effect. “Ministry of Agriculture wishes to inform the general public and all stakeholders that it has suspended the 2018-19 Farm […]
Malawi Police are looking for a truck driver who has bolted with 600 bags of NPK fertilizer worth K13 million meant for the subsidy program as well as some accessories from his vehicle. Ntcheu police spokesperson Hastings Chigaru said the driver, Emmanuel Chidovu of Zambezi Logistics in Blantyre loaded the bags of fertilizer from Nacala […]
Vice-President Saulos Chilima told a United Transformation Movement (UTM) mass rally in Chiradzulu on Sunday that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will be foiled from rigging the country’s Tripartite election next year. Speaking at Ndata Primary School ground in Traditional Authority (T/A) Ntchema in Chiradzulu which was televised live on Times TV, Zodiak and […]
Minister of Agriculture Irrigation and Water Development Joseph Mwanamveka on Friday, September 21 led a team of members from his ministry to welcome this year’s fertiliser coupons for Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) that arrived by Emirates Boeng 777FSKY cargo A6 plane. In his remarks at Kamuzu International Airport, Mwanamveka said by receiving the four million coupons […]
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, has revealed that the Fertilizer Input Subsidy Program (FISP) for the 2018/19 growing season will be launched soon. Director for the FISP program, Osborne Tsoka, disclosed on Wednesday, saying preparations for the program are underway and making good progress. “We have begun preparations for the 2018/19 FISP program […]
Malawi’s immediate past former president Joyce Banda, who is People’s Party leader, has said most political leaders in the country are “woefully” out of touch with economic reality for people living in poverty and therefore do not have the necessary willpower to fight poverty. “I have everything that it takes to live a comfortable life. But I […]
Former president Joyce Banda, who is also opposition People’s Party (PP) leader, has announced she will introduce universal fertilizer subsidy if she is given the mandate to rule the country again. Banda, 68, recently returned home after four years of self-imposed exile when she lost power after being embroiled in a massive graft scandal in […]
Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Goodall Gondwe has defended subsidies aimed at alleviating poverty in the country describing them as critical welfare programmes after some members of parliament questioned the effectiveness of the programmes. Gondwe told journalists at parliament building in Lilongwe on Monday that subsidies such as farm input subsidy programme (Fisp) and […]
Parliamentary Agriculture and Natural Resources Cluster committee has told the government to reduce the staggering K41bn for Farm Input Subsidy (Fido), saying the increase of the beneficiaries is due to political reasons. The chairman of the cluster committee Joseph Chidanti Malunga said the government should be reducing the number of beneficiaries and the budget as […]
As long as government maintains the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp), we should forget that farmers will ever take maize farming as a business. This is the message President Peter Mutharika did not tell Malawians this week when he presided over the second congregation of the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) on […]