I am, more than ever, convinced that inorganic fertiliser is not Malawian.
No wonder, it [inorganic fertiliser] has been leaving us no room for maneuver.
I mean, farmers, the government machinery and other people have literally been put in a corner by something they, of their own volition, introduced to the world. I am talking about inorganic fertiliser.
And, today, inorganic fertiliser has turned into a monster. This is despite that it has perpetuated soil degradation—making us depend on it more and more.
Why am I saying so? Simple. Prices of fertiliser have been rocketing, gradually and assuredly, over the past three weeks.
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Now the problem is, such developments serve as a heavy kick in the stomach of smallholder farmers, who have to dig deeper into their depleted pockets to folk out something for inorganic fertiliser.
Surely, farmers—at least most of them—did not anticipate this. As such, they have nowhere to run.
And it is not just farmers who have been kicked in the stomach. Town mongers who spare the occasional tambala for the purchase of inorganic fertiliser for their farmer-relatives back in the village have been hit in the stomach—sorry, I mean pocket—too.
Now they have to work extra hard to ensure that they generate enough money to use when buying inorganic fertiliser for those they love.
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Surely, inorganic fertiliser is not Malawian. If it were, it would have been patriotic. Yes, patriotic.
Patriotic inorganic fertiliser could not allow its price to rise anyhow. I mean, patriotic inorganic fertiliser could not have overestimated its importance to the extent of making ordinary citizens shake in the legs at the mention of new inorganic fertiliser prices.
Did I say ordinary citizens? The government, too, is shaking its “head”.
I mean, the Government of Malawi, which implements the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP), will have to dig deeper into its dry coffers, too.
Already, the Treasury is failing to provide K30 billion to local councils, which used money amounting to K30 billion for the purchase of medical essentials. These include drugs.
Now the budget for AIP will have to be revised to accommodate new prices of inorganic fertiliser.
Maybe I should talk, a little bit, about inorganic fertiliser prices that have just emerged on the market.
Spot-checks which The Daily Times organised during the week indicated that the price of the soil-enriching product had gone up by an average of K10,000 per 50 kilogramme (kg) bag .
A 50kg bag of NPK, which was selling at around K83,000 last month, is now selling at K93,000 while that of Urea is being sold at K90,000 from K82,000. A 50kg bag of CAN is now selling at around K83,000 from around K76,000.
This was the case in Nkhotakota, Salima, Mzimba, Balaka, Machinga, Zomba, Ntcheu, Nsanje and Blantyre.
In Balaka shops and vendors’ workstations, NPK, Urea and CAN fertiliser was being sold at K93,000, K90,000 and K83,000 per 50kg bag, respectively.
Already, Farmers Union of Malawi Chief Executive Officer Jacob Nyirongo has lamented the situation, saying it spells doom for farmers. In his own words: “This means most farmers will not be able to buy fertiliser, which might, in the end, affect crop output. This can also affect the availability of maize next year. It is not only prices of fertiliser that have gone up but those of seeds as well. So, if a farmer does not have money to buy fertiliser and seeds, definitely yields will be affected.”
Of course, Fertiliser Association of Malawi, whose executive officer is Mbawaka Phiri, has said the problem has come about as a result of forex shortage. And, again, in her own words: “We are aware that this is an unfortunate development for farmers. However, it has been necessitated by challenges with forex scarcity and the increased replacement cost of the product.”
I, for one, cannot blame anyone, except for the unpatriotic nature of inorganic fertiliser. First, it showed us how unpatriotic it was by perpetuating the soil degradation process in the country.
Then, it started dancing to the tune of the United States dollar, instead of dancing to the tune of the Malawi Kwacha. Now whenever prices rise globally, the Kwacha does not stand a chance. In fact, it tumbles.
Blame it on the unpatriotic inorganic fertiliser, which listens only when the dollar’s drum sounds.
Believe you me, inorganic fertiliser is not Malawian. In fact, it is unpatriotic.
What shall we do? Embrace organic fertiliser. It is made in Malawi, from livestock dung and what have you. It is also made from crop residues, too, crops we cultivate in Malawi and animals we rear right here.
What is more? Organic fertiliser listens to the drum of the Kwacha; it is patriotic and Malawian.
