Ministries contradict on Fisp beneficiaries
Two government ministries have given contradicting numbers of beneficiaries of the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (Fisp) in the proposed 2018/19 National Budget.
In the Budget Statement read in Parliament, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe said government has increased Fisp beneficiaries from 900 000 to one million.
But days later, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development told Parliament’s Budget Cluster on Agriculture and Natural Resources that the number of beneficiaries has further increased to 1.5 million despite the 2018/19 Budget Document Number Five page 197 indicating 900 000.
However, during an appearance before the cluster on Budget and Public Accounts yesterday, Secretary to the Treasury Ben Botolo said the figure Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Principal Secretary Grey Nyandule Phiri presented was not correct. He said the correct figure was the one Gondwe announced in the statement.
Said Botolo: “The budget which we have indicates one million beneficiaries. We [Treasury] don’t know about the 1.5 million. We are equally surprised where the 1.5 million is coming from.”
In an interview later, both chairpersons for the clusters on Agriculture and Natural Resources Joseph Chidanti Malunga and Budget and Public Accounts chairperson Rhino Chiphiko said they suspect foul play.
Said Chiphiko: “This shows that the money is not meant for Fisp. I think there are very few people that will benefit from Fisp. Why should the figures differ?”
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has been provided K151 billion in the 2018/19 projected National Budget of which K42 billion has gone to Fisp, an increase from K33 billion in the current financial year.
Fisp was reviewed three years ago and saw the number of beneficiaries reduced from 1.5 million to 900 000. However, in the proposed 2018/19 budget, the number of beneficiaries has been increased with Gondwe admitting the move is meant to woo voters in what the media has described as a campaign budget ahead of the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
