Government has ordered Optichem Fertilizer Company to dispatch another load of fertilizer to Mangochi where about 114 bags of fertilizer were discovered to have been mixed with sand.

This comes after results of tests on the fertilizer revealed the fertilizers indeed had sand and that they were also of low quality.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture Miss Sarah Tione said the two parties have since agreed that the company supplies the area with new fertilizer to compensate for the lot which was returned.

She confirmed that results from Chitedze research station indicate that the fertilizer was indeed mixed with sand.

“Results show that the fertilizer was of low quality. More of the materials were substandard and not required,” she said.

“As per our contract any form of malpractice would require the responsible personnel, in this case the supplier to repay or meet for the extra costs,” she said.

The value of the 114 bags of fertilizers in question is K 57, 000 at subsidized rate, but could go as high as K 1 368 000 on the commercial market.

This means that the company would have to cough close to K3 million for the 114 bags.