1.1 million farmers to benefit in this year’s AIP

Ministry of agriculture says at least 1.1 million farmers will benefit in this year’s Affordable Inputs Program AIP.

Minister of agriculture Sam Kawale has told reporters that government has maintained the 15.000 kwacha price of AIP fertilizer and the budget for the program is over 160 billion kwacha

Kawale said currently 39 000 of fertilizer has already been deposited in the ministry’s warehouse under collateral management.

He says the ministry is not buying the fertilizer from manufacturers but has awarded contracts to 19 local companies

The agriculture minister claims that some hard to reach districts have already started receiving fertilizer before the onset of the rains.

He says the challenges of network, national identification and missing of names of beneficiaries as well as villages on AIP list which were affecting the program have been resolved.

However, the minister said some farmers will benefit from other initiatives that have been lined up