
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have appealed to the government to increase funding to the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) to enable it to reach out to more farmers, following the success of its fertilizer loans distribution program.
The call was made on Saturday at a press briefing in Blantyre after CSOs conducted a monitoring and evaluation exercise of the NEEF fertilizer distribution program in six districts in the Southern region. The program, which aimed to provide cash and fertilizer loans to farmers, has benefited over 35,000 farmers, with over $128,000 worth of fertilizer bags distributed.
Speaking on behalf of the CSOs, Robert Mkwezalamba, hailed the program as a success, citing the timely distribution of fertilizer and the positive impact it has had on farmers. However, they noted that many farmers were still in need of support and appealed to the government to increase funding to NEEF to enable it to reach out to more beneficiaries.
“We appreciate the efforts of NEEF in supporting farmers, but we believe that more needs to be done to reach out to all farmers in need,” said Mkwezalamba. “We urge the government to increase funding to NEEF to enable it to expand its programs and reach out to more farmers.”
CSOs also called on the government to address the challenges posed by erratic rainfall and to adjust loan structures to ensure that farmers are not burdened. They commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Information for its support of the program and urged the government to continue supporting initiatives that benefit farmers.