By Edwin Mauluka
The Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has called on the government to expand the Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) to include medium-scale and commercial farmers, saying participation of all farmers is key to ending hunger and improving national productivity.
FUM President Maness Nkhata made the recommendation after President Peter Mutharika’s State of the Nation Address on Friday, which marked the official opening of the 52nd Session of Parliament and the Mid-Term Review of the 2025/2026 Budget.
Nkhata said extending access to farm inputs beyond smallholder farmers would significantly improve national crop yields.
In his address, Mutharika announced the reintroduction of FISP, targeting 1.1 million households starting this farming season. He said the program will launch in the second week of November 2025, with each beneficiary receiving two 50kg bags of fertilizer and a 5kg pack of seed of their choice.
“Beneficiaries will pay MK10,000 per 50kg bag of fertilizer,” Mutharika said, warning against the sale of fake fertilizer, which he described as “wrong and inhuman.”
The president directed the Malawi Bureau of Standards and Malawi Police Service to be vigilant in curbing the malpractice and revealed that a feasibility study for a domestic fertilizer manufacturing plant had already been completed to ensure affordable local production.
While welcoming the government’s decision to revive FISP, which replaces the previous administration’s Agricultural Input Program (AIP), Nkhata emphasized the need for careful implementation and wider inclusion.
“We are more than 1.1 million farmers in Malawi, but the program only targets those who cannot afford inputs,” Nkhata said. “There are also medium-scale and commercial farmers who need support. A universal subsidy would help all farmers grow more crops and strengthen food security.”
Nkhata also urged the government to revamp ADMARC, the state grain marketing company, to ensure farmers receive fair prices for their produce.
“Many farmers are forced to sell their crops to vendors at low prices,” she said. “The government should allocate adequate funds to ADMARC so it can buy produce earlier and directly from farmers.”
Malawi is currently facing a food crisis, with more than four million people in need of assistance. On October 25, 2025, President Mutharika declared a state of disaster in 11 districts severely affected by food shortages.
To help address the crisis, Malawi has reached an agreement with Zambia to import 200,000 metric tons of maize worth $77 million for distribution to affected households.
Mutharika also addressed challenges facing tobacco farmers, directing the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture to engage buyers after many growers failed to sell their tobacco during the just-ended auction season.
