By Olive Phiri
Over 18,000 farmers in Balaka and Lilongwe have redeemed their farm input packages through the Response to Emergency and Disaster (RED) component under the Sustainable Agriculture and Production Programme 2 (SAPP 2).
This was revealed in Lilongwe when the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Roza Fachi Mbilizi, visited beneficiaries under the initiative in the area of Traditional Authority Kalumbu.
The minister expressed optimism that the Response to Emergency and Disaster (RED) component will help to end hunger and make the country self-sufficient, as farmers are expected to harvest enough maize.
Mbilizi, however, noted challenges such as officers overcharging for farm inputs and warned that the ministry will take action against such officers, as it is a serious offence.
National Coordinator of the Sustainable Agriculture and Production Programme, Rex Baluwa, said so far they have achieved a 100 percent redemption rate for farmers in Balaka, and with only a few farmers remaining to redeem the farm input packages in Lilongwe.
The RED component of SAPP II is being implemented with funding of $3 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to support 22,000 vulnerable households in Balaka and Lilongwe districts.
