The State President, Dr. Lazarus M. Chakwera has begun inspection tours to see the results of the subsidy program. The Nation Newspaper reported some of the feedback from various people in the areas he was visiting. 

"At the start of the tour in Thyolo District on Monday, Traditional Authority (T/A) Nanseta and Thyolo East legislator Masauko White (Democratic Progressive Party-DPP) said most farmers did not benefit from AIP and that the situation was further compounded by the scarcity of Urea fertilizer."

Given implementation challenges faced by the program as well as the damage caused by Cyclones Ana and Gombe, it is certain that there will be a fall in production this year, but how much?

"The concerns of AIP mess and its impact on crop output come at a time Ministry of Agriculture’s first round of crop production estimates show a 14 percent reduction.

On the other hand, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) Food Security Outlook report for February to September 2022 also projected that crop production in the country will be between 10 and 25 percent below average."

Read the full article here: https://www.mwnation.com/tour-exposes-subsidy-flaws/