Traditional Authority Mulumbe of Zomba district told President Lazarus Chakwera that only a handful people attended his developmental rally this morning because of hunger in the district.
Mulumbe said this at Namadidi ground in Zomba where Chakwera held the rally after inspecting crops in the gardens of some selected farmers in the district.
“If it wasn’t for the hunger which is here, many people would have attended this rally, but there is hunger here bwana President,” he said.
The chief also added that people have failed to benefit from Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) that had so many challenges that are likely to negatively affect the harvests that people will yield.
Concurring with the traditional leader, Member of Parliament for Zomba Changalume Constituency Bizwick Million said there is need to go back to the drawing board and look into issues to do with AIP so that challenges should be minimized.
“We are asking you that this year people should be able to access inputs in time, maybe one to two months before the rains, so that we should avoid what we’ve faced this season,” he said.
In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Lobin Lowe admitted that this season’s AIP programme had so many problems but he was quick to say that all problems will be rectified and this coming farming season’s programme will be successful.
“As a ministry we are admitting that AIP did not go well, the big challenge we faced was higher prices from the suppliers who were selling us the bag of fertilizer at Mk40,000 instead of a known price of Mk23,000.
“There were also vendors who were buying identity cards from farmers, that will be dealt with…let me assure you that this year’s AIP programme will be successful” said the Lowe.
In his speech, President Chakwera said he is aware of the hunger and that this country will not have enough harvests this season but he was quick to say that plans are in place for his government to support irrigation farming.
“Government will support irrigation farming so as to make sure that no one should die of hunger. Let me apologise that we will have less harvests this season but I know food will be there,” said the President.
