The Malawi Civil Society-Led Black Economic Empowerment Movement (MaBLEM) has challenged President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and his administration to wake from their slumber and start addressing food insecurity and scarcity of fertilizer besetting the Affordable Input Programme yet again this year.
MaBLEM Board Chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba and his national coordinator, Fryson Chodzi, said they are surprised that Chakwera and his government are not taking advantage of the contract they signed with Eastbridge Estate SRL to supply 600, 000 metric tonnes (300,000 metric tonnes for NPK and 300,000 metric tonnes for UREA) of fertilizer and in return be paid through commodities of equivalent amount.
Mkwezalamba and Chodzi argued that this arrangement could help Malawi deal with the endemic problem of foreign exchange shortages. They made the sentiments in a statement issued on Friday.
Malawi is currently facing a significant hunger crisis, exacerbated by adverse weather conditions and economic challenges. According to Ministry of Agriculture data, over 5.7million of Malawians are at risk of severe food insecurity due to reduced agricultural output and rising food prices.
The situation has prompted international humanitarian responses to assist affected populations.
In his public address on 27th November 2024, the President confirmed that the government, with support from partners, has reached out to over 4.5 million Malawians with food aid and is yet to reach out to over 1.2 million Malawians.
In their statement, Mkwezalamba and Chodzi said the food insecurity can be mitigated through timely availability and distribution of farm inputs including fertilizer.
“The country might have favorable rains, but if the inputs are not available, the country can experience food shortage. That is the more reason why Government’s continued investment in AIP remains vital. On the other hand, Malawi’s fertilizer situation has been impacted by several challenges, including supply chain disruptions, high prices, and reliance on imported fertilizers. Currently, the country faces an alarming fertilizer deficit with only 150,000metric tones available against the annual requirement of 400,000metric tones. This has been driven by an acute shortage of forex exchange challenges, casting a heavy shadow over this year’s growing season as it threatens food security for millions,” reads the statement in part.
The commodity exchange agreement and fertilizer contracts were agreed to and sealed between December 2022 and December 2023 and Mkwezalamba and Chodzi claim they have evidence suggesting that the deal between Government and Eastbridge stalled following the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture that the contract be handed over to Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM), which is a government organization that deals with fertilizer.
“Considering these efforts as well as the fact that the country’s fertilizer stocks are alarmingly low, it is surprising that government has not taken this opportunity to consummate the contract with Eastbridge and to have the company supply fertilizer as committed in the contract for the benefit of the multitude of poor and local Malawian farmers. Looking at the foregoing, MaBLEM would like to make the following calls as regards to the situation of fertilizer in the country and the obligations that Government has;
“Make fertilizer available to the farmers in Malawi by all means necessary to avoid creating food shortages and food crisis in the country. Malawi is already rearing from a food crisis caused by natural disaster and the people are still grappling with the effects and cannot afford another crisis,” said Mkwezalamba and Chodzi.
They urged the government to respect its contracts that will lead to availability of the fertilizer in the country.
“Government should respect its undertaking which otherwise will lead to unnecessary lawsuits, thereby putting public resources at risk. Government MUST always ensure that there is prudence in committing the nation. In regards to the fertilizer commitment and contracts, Government must assemble all fertilizer contracts and agreements already signed and undertake a due diligence to assess their viability at this point in time to ensure there are no further legal consequences on its part. Efforts must be made to ensure that contracts are only signed after a due diligence is undertaken to avoid further lawsuits,” they added.
There was no immediate response from the government.