Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Member of Parliament for Blantyre City South East Sameer Suleman, who is also chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, has earned himself public praise for exposing a MK 30 Billion Affordable Input Program (AIP) scandal.
Some days ago the patriotic and workaholic lawmaker Suleman told the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture that money amounting to MK30 Billion meant for the procurement of fertilizer under this year’s AIP went ‘missing’ at the Ministry Agriculture with no single bag of fertilizer to show up.
According to Suleman, the Ministry of Agriculture was duped through a dubious deal with a UK-based Company which was contracted to supply fertilizer to the country.
But in a statement signed by Principal Secretary Sandram Mweru the ministry denied the allegation.
The Ministry said Barkaat Foods Limited, a Butchery based in the United Kingdom, failed to supply 25,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer after the government paid it MK750 million.
“Barkaat Foods Limited failed to supply and consequently terminated the contract citing loss of the production line at Yara (UK) and that they could no longer commit to supply the fertilizer and agreed to transfer the fee back to SFFRM through the same ECOBank,” said the Ministry in a statement issued last week on Thursday.
However, a recent revelation has shown that Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) authorities are unaware of any transaction under this year’s AIP which has raised many questions.
In an interview with MIJ Online, the Director for PPDA Edington Chilapondwa said his office does not have any file for the procurement of fertilizer under the Input Program (AIP).
Meanwhile MCP in a bid to hide details on the Stolen MK30 Billion AIP monies, they have formed a Caucus called Economic Freedom Caucus whose Chairman is Baba Malondera to Fight against the Agriculture Committee in Parliament and have been asking several Agricultural Institutions to fund them.
