PARLIAMENT URGED TO WORK ON SMALLHOLDER GAPS – Malawi News Online

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in the agriculture sector have urged parliament to work on financing gaps that are amidst smallholder farmers. According to the CSOs, the 2019/20 budget is not addressing the gaps.

The CSOs, which include the National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (Nasfam), Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet), Africa Institute for Corporate Citizenship and Care Malawi, say there is a inequitable distribution of resources to programs within the sectoral budget. Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Ulemu Chilapondwa, rated the concerns as genuine and timely.

On the other hand, Treasury is also being confronted about other agricultural gaps; after Treasury allocated K800 million to the Green Belt Authority (GBA) in the proposed 2019/20 National Budget, lawmakers observed that the low funding will affect the operations of the authority to develop irrigation farming.

In the initial proposal, GBA proposed K1 billion for the development of sugarcane irrigation in Salima but only K260 million has been allocated, K2 billion was proposed for the development of cotton irrigation project at Nchalo in Chikwawa but only K140 million has been allocated. On the other hand, the authority also proposed K2.2 billion for rice and other related irrigation development project at Nthola-Illola in Karonga but only K100 million has been allocated.