By Martin Chiwanda

Machinga, November 29, Mana: Beneficiaries of Affordable Input Program (AIP) in Machinga have described the initiative as the best approach that government has used to bail its people from poor harvest and food insecurity.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Thursday, a 46 years old beneficiary from Traditional Authority Sitola, Damson Baton said he is pleased with the program saying it has reduced chances of poor harvest which he mostly faces as a result of poor crop nutrition due to lack of fertilizer.

Damson said he possess a very big land and buying fertilizer to much up the whole land was very difficult considering the prices of the commodity.

"The programe has seriously come as a savior considering that we are living in a time where most prices of goods have gone very high. I have a very big land and I always come with very low outputs despite my efforts.

"But with the AIP, it’s a sigh of relief knowing I stand a chance of having more harvest this season,” he said.

William Magombe is another beneficiary from Poteya village who has also hailed government for the AIP saying he will be able to produce more harvests and avert hunger this coming year.

Magombe said being one of the beneficiaries; he will utilize the opportunity in investing in farming so that he could produce more, to differentiate himself from those who have not had the opportunity.

"I will surely use the opportunity that I have for being in the programme. All I need is to use it in doing more in farming this year so that I should produce more harvest,” he said.

Machinga district director of agriculture, environment and natural resources (DAENR), Isaac Alli, said he is happy to see beneficiaries having great plans for the inputs they are getting.

"I will be very happy if these farmers use the inputs to improve their lives. I do not expect them to sell the inputs instead of applying them to their fields," he said, urging all beneficiaries to seize the opportunity and use the fertilizer on their own land.

Machinga has 27, 697 beneficiaries who are expected to benefit from the program.

According to Ali, the distribution of AIP to beneficiaries began in hard-to-reach areas, especially given the challenges of the rainy season. As a result, Ngokwe, Chikweo, Nampeya, Nayuchi, and Sale were prioritized, and bags of fertilizer have already arrived in these locations, where beneficiaries have begun purchasing them.