Coupons’delay worry farmers in central region

The delay of  Subsided Farm inputs (coupons) worries the  small holder farmers in central region, and they turn to believe that this year coupons will end up be useless if provided as they have already planted their crops in this rain season.

Farmers in Ntchisi, Mchinji, Dowa, Lilongwe and other areas are yet to receive coupons which will earn them cheap maize and legumes seeds and fertilizer.

“This is really chaos. When the coupons arrive, they will be useless,” complained a farmer Amon Banda in Lilongwe.

Banda also depicted that the delay is due to corruption as some officials demand money before the farmers buy the farm inputs.

Farm Input Subsidy Program coordinator Osborne Tseke confirmed the central region is yet to receive the coupons which are yet to arrive from abroad.

“We are expecting them anyday from today (Sunday) and this will be just on time for planting,” he said.

He said the coupons are printed abroad and brought in Malawi just on time to avoid fraudulent activities.

Meanwhile, fewer small holder farmers in Southern region have benefited from this year subsided programme, which will be the case in other regions.