President Arthur Peter Mutharika has relaunched Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Programme, setting the price of fertilizer at K10,000 per 50-kilogram bag for smallholder farmers. Speaking at the opening of Parliament’s 52nd session, he said 1.1 million households will each receive two bags of fertilizer and a 5kg seed pack this farming season. He warned against counterfeit fertilizer sales, calling them a criminal activity, and ordered enforcement by the Malawi Bureau of Standards and the police.
Mutharika cited economic challenges, including 28.2 percent inflation, foreign exchange shortages, and a public debt of K21.6 trillion. To address food insecurity, his government will import 200,000 metric tons of maize from Zambia for four million people in 11 disaster-declared districts. On energy, he pledged to ease fuel shortages through open tenders and increased foreign exchange for imports, while advancing the Mpatamanga Hydropower Project and the Salima Nanjoka Solar Plant.
The president also announced free secondary education, an end to unprocedural appointments, stronger anti-corruption efforts, and continued social cash transfers. Mining projects, such as the Kayelekera Uranium Mine, have resumed, and a Sovereign Wealth Fund will manage mineral revenues. He emphasized the need to industrialize six key sectors to drive job creation and economic growth, declaring that fixing the economy is crucial to national progress.
Mutharika cited economic challenges, including 28.2 percent inflation, foreign exchange shortages, and a public debt of K21.6 trillion. To address food insecurity, his government will import 200,000 metric tons of maize from Zambia for four million people in 11 disaster-declared districts. On energy, he pledged to ease fuel shortages through open tenders and increased foreign exchange for imports, while advancing the Mpatamanga Hydropower Project and the Salima Nanjoka Solar Plant.
The president also announced free secondary education, an end to unprocedural appointments, stronger anti-corruption efforts, and continued social cash transfers. Mining projects, such as the Kayelekera Uranium Mine, have resumed, and a Sovereign Wealth Fund will manage mineral revenues. He emphasized the need to industrialize six key sectors to drive job creation and economic growth, declaring that fixing the economy is crucial to national progress.
