BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Members of Parliament (MPs) have called upon Government to find ways of increasing the Farm Input Subsidy so that many Emaswati can have access to this facility.
The Farm Input Subsidy is now in demand such that it gets used up even before the deadline that is set by the Ministry of Agriculture in each year. This year (2024/25), Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, allocated E59 million for Farm Input Subsidy.
LaMgabhi Member of Parliament (MP) Sicelo Jele moved a motion, calling upon Minister of Agriculture Mandla Tshawuka to see to it if it would not be possible for his Ministry to increase the amount of the Farm Input Subsidy. The House of Assembly gave Minister Tshawuka seven days to table a report before the House on this matter.
MP Jele was seconded by Mayiwane MP Sicelo Prince Dlamini on this matter. Several MPs debated the matter. Shiselweni II MP Bhekithemba Bhembe asked for the minister to increase the amount allocated to the facility. Nkomiyahlaba MP Mduduzi Mantunta Dlamini suggested that the minister should approach Parliament, with an intention to increase the budget allocated to this fund.
According to this legislator, it was clear to many Emaswati that the country could produce maize on its own, without relying on external assistance. Mangcongco MP Lomalanga Dlamini called for more availability of lime, as some areas, such as her constituency, had more acidic soil. She said at some point, the lime was available and it helped them improve their crop production in Mangcongco.
Methula MP Jabulani Mkhari Simelane wanted to know if the minister reviewed the fund allocated to the fund to see if farmers had been helped. In response, Minister Tshawuka said the E59 million allocated to this fund was used up even before the deadline that was set by the Ministry, which was September 30, 2024.
Tshawuka said it was unfortunate that the Ministry did not have any other amount it could use for farmers to make use of this facility. He said they were also not happy with the current state of affairs concerning the fund, especially because farmers had looked up to it for assistance. Tshawuka said they had raised awareness about this facility when they visited farmers to constituencies. He told the MPs that over 6 800 farmers had been helped by this facility this year.
