Ministry of Agriculture says the controversial K128 billion fertiliser barter deal between Malawi Government and purported Romanian firm East Bridge is not linked to the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

Speaking yesterday when the ministry appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Irrigation to give an update on progress of the 2023/24 AIP preparations, the ministry’s Principal Secretary Dickxie Kampani emphasised that the commodity exchange deal between government and East Bridge was for commercial fertiliser to be traded by Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM).

“For this year’s AIP, it has no relation to the Romania deal, but in future this is a deal that can help address issues of AIP,” he said.

Kampani said there are suppliers being engaged to supply fertiliser under AIP, but could not disclose their names as the procurement process was underway.

He told the committee that the ministry is making progress on AIP and wants the programme to be implemented on time.

Ministry of Agriculture AIP coordinator Justin Kagona said government has used restricted tender in the procurement of suppliers for fertiliser to help expedite supply.

Each constituency will have also have two retailing points and mobile vending to ensure that people have easy access to fertiliser, they said.

The AIP fertiliser requirement for this year is estimated at 149 164 metric tonnes.

Committee chairperson Sameer Suleman emphasised that the committee expects a better AIP this year saying there is room to iron out challenges that the programme faced last year.

He wondered why the ministry was using restricted tender, saying it shows that government is hiding something.

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