Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe says government has spent K140.2 billion on Affordable Input Programme (AIP) from the initial K160.2 billion allocation in the 2020-2021 national budget.

This follows the flushing out of ghost beneficiaries from the initial 4.2 million down to 3.7 million farmers.

The busting of ghost beneficiaries followed the screening and vetting of beneficiaries through the National Registration Bureau.

Lowe was presenting a Ministerial Statement on the progress of Affordable Input Programme (AIP) which he said closed on 20th February 2021.

In terms of performance, as at the end of the programme on 20th February 2021, 3.4 million farmers accessed the Inputs (fertiliser and seeds) against the total number of 3.7 million beneficiaries.

The Minister alluded to network hitches as the major challenge that faced the AIP during farmer access.