By Suleman Chitera
A fresh scandal has rocked the Affordable Farm Inputs Programme (FISP) after 222 government employees were found on a list of 31,483 beneficiaries in Nkhotakota District—raising serious questions about abuse of a programme meant for Malawi’s poorest farmers.
A letter seen reveals that the beneficiaries include teachers, agricultural extension officers, police officers, health workers, and other employees of the district council—people with steady salaries accessing subsidised farm inputs intended for vulnerable households.
Confirming the development, Wongani Mkandawire, spokesperson for the Nkhotakota District Council, said the beneficiaries do not qualify under existing rules.
“According to guidelines from the Ministry of Agriculture, government employees are not eligible to purchase subsidised inputs,” Mkandawire said.
But Nkhotakota is only the tip of the iceberg.
Data from the Central Region shows the rot runs deeper:
Kasungu District – 158 government employees
Mchinji District – 212
Ntchisi District – 148
Salima District – 241
Dedza District – 234
In total, nearly 1,200 salaried public servants across six districts have been linked to a programme designed to cushion poor farmers battered by climate shocks, rising fertiliser prices, and deepening hunger.
The revelations have sparked outrage, with critics accusing authorities of turning a blind eye to systemic manipulation of FISP while genuine smallholder farmers are pushed out. For years, FISP has been plagued by allegations of ghost beneficiaries, political patronage, and elite capture—yet accountability remains elusive.
As millions of Malawians struggle to put food on the table, the question now confronting government is blunt and unavoidable:
Who is FISP really for—the poor farmer in the village, or the salaried official in uniform and office?
Unless decisive action is taken, the programme risks losing not just credibility, but its very purpose.
