by Wongani Chipeta
As the exercise of selling cheap fertilizer and planting seeds has commenced in some parts of the country, Avant publications has gathered that the exercise is marred with some shortfalls which the government needs to seriously take into consideration.
While many people acknowledge that this year’s program has seen the increase in the number of beneficiaries, the Tonse administration fails to rectify some challenges the exercise is facing.
In the famous Obwande documentary, it was pointed out that the beneficiaries take long time, even spending nights to access the subsidized inputs.
Visiting some selling outlets in Mchinji District, Avant publications confirmed that many beneficiaries have spent some nights before accessing the fertilizer. The sellers at Tembwe Trading claim that the system is failing to work normally due to network problems.
Later at the same selling point, Avant publications learnt that some beneficiaries give K2000 each to security personnel, community police, to help them buy the imputs.
Speaking to one beneficiary, he said that the community police members demand money from them and then collects the national identity cards to give to the sellers so as to assist the beneficiaries in time.
When Avant publications tried to verify the issue in some parts of the country, the outcry was the same. Some people have been arrested for the malpractice, but many are freely participating in the deal.
Unlike other years, this year’s exercise has seen the reduction in selling outlets which is also facilitating the challenges.
Again, as the country has started receiving the planting rains, some districts have not yet started receiving the cheap fertilizer. Kasungu District is one of the district which Avant publications has confirmed as not having started receiving the fertilizer as we were going to press.
These delays with the minimum outlets will hamper the program which is meant to benefit many under privileged Malawians.
*www.avantmalawi.com🇲🇼 *