CisaNet urges transparency in budget formulation

Civil Society Agriculture Network (CisaNet) has urged agriculture stakeholders to be transparent in formulating district agricultural budgets.

CisaNet head of programmes Alfred Kambwiri said this in Mchinji on Monday during a presentation on the recently launched National Agriculture Investment Plan (Naip) .

With funding from Oxfam Malawi, CisaNet is popularising Naip in Lilongwe, Karonga, Mzuzu, Phalombe and Mulanje districts.

Kambwiri told participants that the annul financial deficits district agricultural development offices (Dados) face are a result of the lack of transparency and accountability in the formulation and implementation of the district agriculture budgets.

“I believe some of the challenges the agriculture sector is facing could have been resolved if Dados were transparent at the time of formulating budgets,” he said.

Kambwiri said engaging and involving stakeholders in the formulation of the budgets could resolve some of the challenges the sector is facing at district level.

Mchinji District director of planning and development Raphael Munthali welcomed the suggestion, saying they will consider engaging all stakeholders when formulating a budget for the next financial year.

“This is a welcome suggestion and we pledge to work with our stakeholders in this regard,” he said. n