The government has opened a can of worms after disclosing that it has awarded Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) contracts to 13 suppliers, with civil society pressing it to say where the fertiliser which Russia and Morocco donated is.
According to Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale, the companies have been contracted to supply 149,164 metric tonnes (mt) of Urea and NPK through Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM).
The companies are Optichem (2000) Limited l, ETG Inputs Ltd, Farmers World, Afriventures Blantyre Limited, Mediterranean Fertilisers DMCC, Malawi Fertiliser Company and Saeed Investments.
The others are Chipala Investments, Sealand Investments l, Midima Holdings Ltd, Chipiku Stores, Zathu Trading and Paramount Holdings Limited.
Kawale said about 80,000mt of fertiliser are already in the country, representing 53 percent of what the country needs.
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“Procurement of transportation services is at an advanced stage. Award of contracts to successful transporters is expected to be done by 31st July 2023. It is expected that smallholder farmers will access all farm Inputs before the first planting rains,” Kawale said.
However, Church and Society of the Blantyre Synod of the Church of Central African Presbyterian has asked the Ministry of Agriculture to explain to Malawians where the fertiliser from Russia and Morocco is.
Church and Society Executive Director Reverend Master Jumbe said the government has to account for the donated fertiliser from Russia and Morocco.
“Can the government tell Malawians where the fertiliser from Russia and Morocco is? Who received that fertiliser? We demand transparency on that fertiliser,” Jumbe said.
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But Kawale said all Morocco and Russia fertiliser was used.
He told The Daily Times that the Russian government, through World Food Programme, donated 20,000mt of fertiliser to Malawi for AIP towards the end of 2022.
Kawale added that the handover ceremony took place in Mkwinda Extension Planning Area, Traditional Authority Chiseka, in Lilongwe in March 2023.
The minister said, almost at the same time, the government of Morocco donated 10,000mt of fertiliser which was blended to make about 52,000mt of fertiliser.
“The two donations went straight to farmers who redeemed and used them all. The handover of Moroccan fertiliser took place during the AIP launch while the Russian handover took place in March 2023 to accommodate the arrival of Russian officials,” Kawale said.
The government has allocated K109 billion for AIP for 1.7 million beneficiaries in the 2023- 24 farming season.
Last year’s AIP was a mess and the government admitted that the programme faced hurdles such as late redemption of inputs.
