Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale says authorities are investigating reports that some people are selling fake fertilizer in Malawi.
The minister has said this in a statement today after a video circulated on social media showing a person complaining that he bought fertilizer made by mixing soil with lime.
“I bought this fertilizer at Kapiri in Mchinji. I applied it to crops in my garden but it did not have the desired effect on the crops,” says the man in the video.
According to Kawale, the ministry is aware of the issues and Malawi Bureau of Standards, Anti-Corruption Bureau and Police have been alerted.
“Our officers in the Department of Agriculture Research Services are already on the ground investigating,” said Kawale.
He, however, said the fake fertilizer is not part of the fertilizer which is expected to be sold to millions of farmers under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
“AIP fertilizer is safely kept in SFFRFM warehouses across the country ready to be dispatched to selling points,” said Kawale.
He then added that the Ministry of Agriculture will table a Fertilizer Bill in the next Parliament meeting that will regulate and certify inoculants, organic fertilizers, and inorganic fertilizers across the country, so that people have a wide range of genuine fertilizers to use.
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