By Chisomo Phiri
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale has announced that the government is expected to distribute 104,845 metric tonnes of fertilizer under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) this year.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday in Lilongwe, Kawale said the government has engaged 19 companies to supply fertilizer under the programme.
He said the government is not buying directly from manufacturers because there are issues of advance payments and forex that need to be looked into when buying direct from manufacturers.
Kawale said to avoid delays in implementation of the programme, the government decided to buy from companies that have fertilizer in the country.
He indicated that the companies that have been engaged will be paid in kwacha.
The minister indicated that about one million people are expected to benefit from the AIP this year.
He said the government has maintained last year’s fertilizer price which is K15,000 per 50 kilogram bag.
Kawale added that on every seed that the farmer chooses, the government will be paying K4,500 and the farmer will be topping up the remaining amount.
The AIP is significant to farmers across the country since it provides farmers with opportunities to affordable farm inputs such as, fertilizer, seed, livestocks among others
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