By Sarah Gwetsani
A Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard from Mvera area in Dowa Rodgers Kamphangala, has expressed his grave concern on how government is implementing the 2023-2024 Affordable Input Programme (AIP) claiming that the program is benefiting those who are in the urban centres.
Kamphangala says while the typical villagers are crying for not receiving fertilizer coupons, a large chunk of coupons has found their way in urban centres taking people without any piece of land to cultivate as beneficiaries describing this as a worrisome development.
He says for three years of Tonse Alliance has been in power, AIP has failed to register meaningful achievements of food security in the country as people regarded as beneficiaries are all vendors in the urban centres.
The MCP diehard says he had to take his time off to see with his naked eyes at Mvama LEA School in Lilongwe City where beneficiaries are verifying their names and are paying in advance their K30,000 for two bags of fertilizer once the fertilizer comes to the area.
He notes with a great concern that beneficiaries were coming driving their cars from Area 18 A and 18B joining those of Chimoka, Senti, Dubai, Areas 51 and 50, Mgona, Ngomani and Ng’oma villages to verify their names for fertilizer.
Kamphangala says what is happening at Mvama LEA School in Lilongwe City Central Constituency is also happening elsewhere in Mzuzu, Zomba, Blantyre that people who are vendors are the ones registered as AIP beneficiaries.
“There were vehicles parked at Mvama School as if there is a football match and interestingly, owners are the rightful beneficiaries of the AIP while deserving ones in the villages are helpless,” he says.
He has however, asked President Lazarus Chakwera to address the rural people on what the Ministry of Agriculture meant by reducing the figure of AIP beneficiaries by one million people with a question did this applies to those without gardens in the urban centres?
Kamphangala has also joined all those that are advocating for the disbandment of AIP claiming that if the motive is for political games, the MCP has failed in the central region particularly in Dowa which is regarded as a food basket district feeding other districts in Malawi and above all produced 100 percent votes for President Chakwera in the June, 2020 elections.
 diehard from Mvera area in Dowa Rodgers Kamphangala, has expressed his grave concern on how government is implementing the 2023-2024 Affordable Input…){kind=link}