National News

Delay to supply farm inputs irks community

People of Kabuwa in Traditional Authority (T/A) Khosolo in Mzimba have expressed concern over delays to supply farm inputs in the area under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

In an interview, a representative of the concerned community, Patson Banda said they expected to start buying the farm inputs before the end of December 2020.

“The community has lost hope as there is no indication that they will access the inputs in time, considering that the rainy season has started,” he said.

People buy subsidised fertliser from an outlet

Banda said the area is hard to reach during the rainy season due to its topography; hence, the fear that people may resort to buying the commodities at commercial prices from Dwangwa Trading Centre in Nkhotakota, 27 kilometres away.

Kanjuchi Ward councillor Muutso Nkhoma said companies assigned to supply the inputs in the area could not be seen on the ground.

“M’Mbelwa District Council director of agriculture and environment Ezra Mbendera is aware of this issue,” he said.

But Mbendera said the delay in the implementation of the programme has affected several areas in the district and not only Kabuwa.

He said: “There are also some parts of Mzimba South which have not yet been covered by the AIP.

“However, we are working hard to ensure that the issue is sorted out as soon as possible.”

Mbendera said the district was allocated 17 suppliers, but only 14 are on the ground.

About 105 549 households in the district are expected to benefit from AIP, but only 31 720 have bought the subsidised fertiliser and seeds.

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