Three security guards are in custody in Thyolo after police on suspicion that they were demanding extra money from people to access fertilizer under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

The Ministry of Agriculture says it is yet to decide on farmer contribution of fertilizer and goats for this year’s Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

The Civil Society Network on Agriculture (CisaNet) has expressed its concerned over delays by government to roll out the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) with almost a month and a half to go before the rainy season starts.

All the 650 prospective beneficiaries of this year's Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) in Group Village Headman (GVH) Mkawera in Thyolo are yet to have their Identity Cards scanned and none has accessed a bag of fertilizer since the onset of the programme.

Scores of people from Village Headman Samson 2 in the area of Traditional Authority Thomasi this morning stormed Thyolo District council to present their grievances in relation to unaccessibility of fertiliser under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

Minister of agriculture, Sam Kawale, says they are receiving overwhelming response from parliamentarians to help in dispatching Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) fertiliser from the warehouses to the beneficiaries.

A day after Zodiak carried a story on Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) mess involving chiefs and vendors at Goliati selling point in Thyolo, agriculture authorities have busted the syndicate and forced Village Headman Naphiyo 2 to return K200, 000 he allegedly solicited from beneficiaries.

Hope to harvest bumper yields this year is slowly diminishing for scores of smallholder farmers in four traditional authorities in Thyolo as some claim to have been going to Goliati selling point for three weeks now without redeeming fertiliser under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

A snap check by Zodiak in Neno has established that only two traditional authorities of Mlauli and Chekucheku have AIP selling points, putting a burden to other beneficiaries from Senior chiefs Symon and Dambe.

Senior chief Kapichi of Thyolo has asked the government to open more Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) selling points as his beneficiaries including others from Mulanje are thronging the only Luchenza selling point.