Fertilizer subsidy a flop : Malawi opposition legislators

Malawi's opposition lawmakers say the country's much touted fertiliser subsidy programme has been poorly implemented. They charge that the system has only benefited ruling party members and sympathisers.

During the 2006/7 budget sitting of Parliament (in 2006) the opposition, led by the Malawi Congress Party, advocated that government replace the programme with farmers' clubs because it had failed to achieve the expected results during its pilot season (2005/6). However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government shot down the proposal, insisting that the programme was on track. Deputy minister of agriculture Bintony Kutsaira has defended the system, countering that it has failed in opposition-held areas because the MPs have failed to monitor the distribution exercise.

During parliament's current sitting, opposition parliamentarians have taken turns to tear apart the system, arguing among others things that the three million fertiliser coupons meant for poor farmers have led to widespread corruption. They have complained bitterly that despite reports of the country’s expected one million tonne surplus of maize, most of their constituents have not benefited from the coupons because they were distributed selectively.

The opposition has further accused President Mutharika’s administration of shielding certain individuals while taking a hard stance on others. “There is something very wrong with this government. When some chiefs were reported to be selling the coupons, government arrested them instantly, but up to now the same government is doing nothing about ministers who were reported to have tampered with them,” said MP Clement Stambuli.

“We are not saying that the fertiliser subsidy system should be abolished, only the use of coupons because of the way it has been conducted. It has proved an absolute flop. No constituency belonging to the opposition has fully benefited from this system, that is why all the opposition members in this House are against it,” opposition MP EbbieMathanda said.

President Mutharika has recently admitted for the first time that the system has indeed been flawed. He said he was aware of the problems being faced in accessing the coupons and that he had recently dismissed the former minister of agriculture, Uladi Mussa, in order to clear the mess.

source : Nyasa Times