President Lazarus Chakwera has said his Tonse Alliance administration will not abandon the Affordable Input Programme (AIP) until alternatives are fully developed.

Chakwera said this when he officially open the 17th National Agricultural fair at Chichiri Trade Fair Grounds in Blantyre.

“I know there are those who complain about how expensive AIP is. Such complaints are a luxury of few who live on a full stomach.

“What is truly expensive is national hunger and food insecurity,” he said.

Chakwera further said there is no honor to be in a country that starves and beg.

He said it is for this reason that agriculture was made a priority in the #MW2063 Vision.

Chakwera said agriculture has developed greatest economies such as China and America, saying time is now for “high value production and not only high volume production.”

According to the president, there must be companies established in rural areas to process and add value to agricultural products to minimize importation of processed products.