The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to decisively abandon the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) and instead invest in fertiliser manufacturing as a sustainable solution to Malawi’s recurring food insecurity.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe on Tuesday, CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa said continued reliance on FISP has failed to guarantee food security, leaving many households dependent on relief food despite receiving subsidised fertiliser.
“That said, our strongly considered view is that it is time government abandoned FISP and invested in a fertilizer plants,” said Namiwa.
“The Moroccan fertilizer donation that we heard about recently reminded us that we have the potential to push down fertilizer prices by investing in initiatives to blend fertilizer locally.
”He described the current approach as economically unsound saying, “It is strange that government spent billions on the fertilizer subsidy programme in October and November, yet six months later, the same government spend billions to provide relief food to the same people that received free fertilizer.”
He said CDEDI believes the time has come for government to invest in fertiliser manufacturing and allow commercial farmers to grow maize that can be stocked by the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) and sold to food-insecure Malawians at subsidised prices. Beyond agriculture, CDEDI urged government to be equally decisive in addressing persistent foreign exchange shortages.
Namiwa called for drastic measures to stop forex externalisation, promote import substitution, forgo luxuries and “walk the austerity talk,” ring-fence forex for raw materials, and invest in innovative initiatives targeting the export market.
The organisation also demanded decisive action to end the fuel crisis, saying failure to overhaul the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) undermines the administration’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption.
Namiwa said CDEDI has already submitted evidence of alleged fraud and corruption in fuel procurement to authorities, including the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and urged swift action.
CDEDI further called on government to avoid punitive taxation, review mining development agreements so the country benefits fairly from its natural resources, and act decisively on unresolved national matters, including instituting a fresh investigation into the June 10, 2024 plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others.
