The Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, has announced that about one million people are expected to benefit from the Affordable Inputs Program (AIP) this year.

Kawale made the remarks during a press briefing in Lilongwe at the Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund (SFFRFM).

He stated that the government has maintained last year’s fertilizer price at K15,000 per 50-kilogram bag.

Kawale explained that for every seed a farmer chooses, the government will pay K4,500, and the farmer will cover the remaining amount.

The Minister further mentioned that approximately 104,000 metric tons of fertilizer is expected to arrive in the country.

“There is enough fertilizer within the country, and more is coming. Nineteen companies have been contracted to assist with fertilizer distribution. These are local companies,” Kawale said.

Currently, the government has already started distributing fertilizer under the AIP program to the districts that are difficult to reach.