By Vincent Gunde
A total of 27,180 farmers in Dowa District are expected to benefit from the 2026/27 Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP), representing a reduction of 21,780 beneficiaries from the 48,987 recorded in the previous farming season.
Briefing the District Executive Committee (DEC) at the Boma on Thursday, Dowa West Agriculture Office Chief Agricultural Officer Matilda Mtambo said FISP aims to improve food security and increase incomes among smallholder farmers through access to affordable farm inputs.
Mtambo: FISP aims to improve food security
She said under the programme, each beneficiary household will receive a 50-kilogramme bag of NPK basal fertiliser, a 50-kilogramme bag of urea top-dressing fertiliser and a 1.5-kilogramme pack of certified seed.
Mtambo said beneficiaries will contribute K20,000 per 50kg bag of fertiliser and K10,000 for a 5kg pack of certified maize seed.
She said beneficiaries will also be required to participate in the production and use of Mbeya organic fertiliser, with extension workers providing technical guidance on its preparation, management and application.
Mtambo said beneficiaries were selected through Farmer Organisations during open forums, where members nominated eligible households based on approved criteria.
She said only people previously registered as members of the Farmer Organisations were eligible, while those registered externally without belonging to the organisations were removed and replaced by eligible members.
Mtambo said the registration process faced several challenges, including pressure from local leaders to distribute Farmer Organisation allocations among villages, registration of people outside the organisations’ databases, identification mismatches and double registration of individuals under more than one Farmer Organisation.
She said secure coupons will be used to ensure that only approved beneficiaries redeem FISP inputs.
Dowa District Council Director of Planning and Development Phillimon Maseko urged stakeholders and partners to support the programme to ensure its success in the district.
The 2026/27 FISP was officially launched by Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Roza Mbilizi in Ntchisi on September 24, 2026.
