Vendors raid villages, buy national IDs for AIP

It has emerged that some unscrupulous vendors have raided rural areas in the country and are buying national identity (IDs) cards from some beneficiaries of 2021/22 Affordable Input Programme (AIP) to access the subsidised fertiliser.

In an interview yesterday, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (Csat) executive director Willy Kambwandira said his organisation has received several complaints from across the country through its toll-free line that some vendors are buying national IDs to access AIP.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Gracian Lungu has also confirmed receiving such reports.

Kambwandira said Mulanje, Thyolo, Machinga and Dowa are the most affected districts and has asked government to treat the matter with urgency, saying if the problem is not addressed, crop output in the 2021/22 agricultural year will be affected.

He said: “Machinga is worse because there are a lot of issues apart from that of vendors monopolising the buying of inputs. Some chiefs are also demanding about K5 000 to issue an authorisation letter for those who cannot afford to go and buy the farm inputs such as the elderly.”

He said his organisation is engaging relevant authorities, including Ministry of Agriculture and the police because some of the activities are criminal in nature.

Kambwandira asked government to migrate to a biometric system instead of use of national IDs to curb malpractices.

In a separate interview, Lungu said the issue is being handled at district council level.

He said: “We are getting reports that vendors are buying IDs, but the onus is on the people in the communities where those malpractices are happening to deal with such challenges and not necessarily waiting for the ministry because the ministry is for policy direction.”

On Csat’s proposal to migrate to biometric system, Lungu welcomed the idea, but was quick to point out that the system would be difficult to implement because it is more costly than the current one.

The Nation spot-checks also found that vendors are buying the national IDs at between K13 000 and K20 000 from smallholder farmers. The vendors then use the IDs to access two 50 kilogramme (kg) bags of fertiliser as well as maize and legume seeds at the subsidised price of K7 500 per bag.

The affected areas include traditional authorities Kuntaja and Kunthembwe in Blantyre Rural, where the IDs are fetching an average of K13 000.

In Phalombe, the IDs cost K18 000.

Commercial prices for fertiliser are hovering around K34 000 per 50kg bag.

Reacting to the developments, Farmers Union of Malawi president Frighton Njolomole expressed shock.

He said his organisation has also received several complaints and noted that most farmers selling their IDs are poor farmers from rural areas.

Said Njolomole: “It’s a big pity and what we can say is that the government should definitely do its best. This is very sad news I tell you and I don’t know where Malawi is going.”

President Lazarus Chakwera launched the AIP on October 16 2021 at St Theresa in Chiradzulu.

This year’s programme has been beset with logistical challenges.

The programme is expected to benefit 3.7 million smallholder farming households with an allocation of K140.2 billion.

As of yesterday, the cumulative redemption sales were at 73 536.35 metric tonnes, representing about 19.8 percent.