FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION (FAO) HAS BACKED THE PRESIDENT OF MALAWI ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FETERLISER SUBSIDY PROGRAMME

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said Malawi should continue with the Farm Input Subsidy Program (Fisp).

FAO’s sub-regional coordinator for Southern Africa David Phiri said in an interview on Saturday saying that “all major countries that have developed have done so through agriculture. You may call it subsidies. Most of those countries are still subsidizing more than countries in Africa,” he said.

His remarks came at a time whereby some quarters have been urging government to find a solution to such problems.

Phiri said instead of finding an exit strategy, stakeholders should be tyring to improve and addresss some of the challenges the nation is cuurently facing.

You don’t have an exit strategy just for the sake of it. You exit if your objectives have been fulfilled, it has worked and you don’t need it anymore. Stakeholders have to look at it from that perspective. Do you need it? Yes. If Malawi wants to relook at it, it should look at how to subsidise. Form of subsidy may change,” Phiri said.

Phiri also hailed Malawi for the strides its making in food production.

“Malawi is doing well in agriculture. Out of all countries in the region, it is the third producer of cereals after South Africa and Tanzania.