Africa-Press – Malawi. A fresh scandal has erupted in Thyolo after revelations that some traditional leaders are openly defying Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) guidelines by imposing their own by-laws that force beneficiaries to share fertilizer bags—undermining a programme meant to support struggling households.
Nyasatimes has established that chiefs in several parts of the district are ordering beneficiaries to divide a single 50kg bag of fertilizer among four households, a move that goes against official FISP rules.
For many farmers, this has been the final straw.
One frustrated beneficiary, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisals, said the chiefs have taken over the distribution system as though FISP were their personal project.
“As a beneficiary I am ordered by our chief to share one 50kg bag with three other households. As a farmer, I’m not satisfied with the way this programme is being handled,” the farmer said.
Some locals accuse certain chiefs of using the by-laws to plant their own beneficiaries—people who never appeared on official lists but mysteriously emerge on distribution day.
Authorities Break Silence
Director of Agriculture Services (DAS) for Thyolo, Jackson Mvula Dziko, confirmed that the practice is illegal and has sternly warned chiefs against altering FISP rules.
“It is not in the guidelines. Chiefs should not compromise the programme. The law will take its course if anyone is found doing so,” Dziko said.
He also acknowledged complaints from farmers who walk long distances to access fertilizer, noting that mobile marketing teams will soon be deployed to ease access.
A Programme Under Threat
Under FISP, 56,171 households in Thyolo are listed to buy a 50kg bag of fertilizer at K10,000 each. But with chiefs enforcing their own rules and allegedly smuggling their preferred names into beneficiary lists, many rightful farmers say they are being robbed of their only chance to feed their families.
The misconduct comes at a time when Malawians are increasingly calling on government to adopt the no-nonsense approach once championed by former Trade and Industry Minister Vitumbiko Mumba, who previously dismantled cartels sabotaging essential commodities.
As one farmer put it:
“If government doesn’t stop these chiefs, FISP will collapse just like sugar distribution collapsed. We need leadership that takes action.”
With planting season already underway, every stolen bag, every manipulated list, and every illegal by-law threatens Malawi’s food security.
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