FUM supports plans to change financial year

Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has said the proposal by government to change the financial year to the months of April and March will work well with the growing season of farmers in the country.

Speaking in reaction to Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe’s remarks made in Mzuzu during the pre-budget consultations, FUM director of research and policy Candida Nakhumwa said the move is beneficial to the economy.

“This is an area that we have been pushing to government for some time and the fact that it is now being considered is a plus on our farmers as there will no longer be delays in farming,” said Nakhumwa.

She said the earlier budget, which ran from July to June, negatively affected farming as government sometimes took long to procure agricultural inputs.

“With this, we are sure that, our farmers will get their farm inputs in time for planting; the proposal should be supported because agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy,” she said.