Paramount Chief Kawinga of Machinga has advised farmers who have benefited from this year’s affordable farm input program not to sell the subsidized items.
According to Chief Kawinga, selling the inputs undermines efforts to combat chronic hunger, which continues to affect the district annually, forcing some households to survive on maize husks.
“We must appreciate the government for giving people the opportunity to buy two bags of fertilizer at K20,000 each. But I want to appeal to beneficiaries not to sell the inputs.
They must use them properly so that we can end hunger this year. We do not want to hear that people are eating maize husks again because of food shortages,” he said.
Chief Kawinga also urged residents of Machinga to abandon the spirit of laziness and take advantage of the rains that have already begun this season to intensify farming so that families can secure adequate food.
The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, launched the affordable farm inputs program two weeks ago. In Machinga, more than 52,000 people have benefited from the initiative, which is currently underway.
