The National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (Nasfam) has called for government to review the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) to make it effective while positively impacting on other supply chains. Nasfam chief executive officer Betty Chinyamunyamu stressed this during the opening of its 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lilongwe on Wednesday. Chinyamunyamu, among others, said there is need to ensure Fisp is extended to crops that can generate forex like legumes considering that the programme consumes a lot of resources and forex.
She said: “We are not saying it is not important, we are saying it consumes a lot of resources. And it also consumes a lot of forex because as you know the fertiliser that is used in Fisp is imported. “So our concerns are that it uses a lot of resources such that there is not much else remaining to support other necessary interventions in agriculture like irrigation, climate resilient and market development.” Secondly, according to the Nasfam boss, it is concerning that Fisp is using forex but it is supporting commodities that do not bring forex because the maize that is produced under Fisp is consumed domestically.
“So, our call is that much as we support maize production but we should also consider some of the Fisp resource be allocated to commodities that will bring forex like legumes because we cannot keep on consuming forex without generating more,” she said. Chinyamunyamu also stressed the need for government to announce Fisp outlook on time to ensure stakeholders plan appropriately. In her remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Roza Fatch Mbilizi, who described Nasfam as a key stakeholder, said government will extend the Fisp programme to other crops like legumes as one way of empowering farmers to grow cash crops.
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Mbilizi said: “That was stipulated in our manifesto that we want to make sure Fisp does it only carter for maize production but for other crops as well. “Even this year, we included other cereals and the farmers had a choice to choose which cereals they want to buy under Fisp so this year we will include legumes as well.” In a separate interview Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Agnes Mangwera described the Nasfam AGM as critical for the organisation which is a big stakeholder in the sector. “Admarc is a big stakeholder in the agriculture sector because it works with organised farmers not only encouraging production but as well as marketing and value-addition. “So it is very important for us as a university because as their partner, we work together in areas of technology development and dissemination as well as coordination in terms of working with farmer groups,” Mangwera said.
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