Malawi begins to question long-term sustainability of fertiliser subsidy programme

Government and agricultural experts have called on all Malawian stakeholders to quickly find alternatives to the fertiliser and seed subsidy programme, saying the initiative was not sustainable in the long term.

They said the cost associated with the subsidy programme was counter-productive. The experts made the call when they met for a review and planning workshop to look at progress in the Malawi Agroforestry Food Security Project being coordinated by World Agroforestry Centre based at Chitedze Research Station.

Principal Secretary for Agriculture Patrick Kabambe said continued reliance on the subsidy programme would end up killing the soil with inorganic fertilisers. He said there should be concerted efforts to find complementary interventions to protect the soil and urged professionals to come up with technologies that farmers could readily use.

“There is need to find interventions that involve use of trees as the best approach to protecting the soil. This would then lead to effective fight against poverty and food insecurity in the country,” Kabambe said. He added, “The cost of the subsidy programme is so huge that we have to start looking at alternatives.”

Kabambed the challenge facing the country was declining soil fertility status largely due to land degradation, and that it needed to be urgently redressed. He said over 80 percent of Malawians depend on firewood and charcoal as sources of energy, which results in deforestation.

Daily Times