OOps! Govt blames Govt on AIP

The Umodzi Party, a partner in the ruling Tonse Alliance administration, has expressed deep concern over growing irregularities in this year’s Affordable Inputs Program (AIP).

The party is calling for urgent action to address the issues, which are threatening the program’s success and undermining the government’s efforts to achieve food security.

According to Thomas Wezzie Kaumba, President of the Umodzi Party, several program beneficiaries are facing significant challenges, including missing names from the beneficiaries’ lists and incorrect representation of names.

“Such irregularities are frustrating the intended purpose of the AIP and causing unnecessary distress among smallholder farmers who rely on the program to access affordable agricultural inputs,” Kaumba said.

The party is urging the Ministry of Agriculture to intervene and rectify the anomalies.

“All eligible beneficiaries must be provided with their inputs on time. Ensuring efficiency and transparency in the AIP is critical for the nation to realize its goal of achieving sustainable food security,” Kaumba emphasized.

This is not the first time that the AIP has faced challenges. In 2023, the program was criticized for its targeting mechanism, with some arguing that it was not effective in reaching the most vulnerable farmers.

The Ombudsman’s office also released a report in April 2024, highlighting irregularities in the implementation of the AIP.