Sustain Africa supports supply of fertilizer in Malawi

Soaring fertilizer prices, due to the lasting impact of COVID19, high energy costs and the Russia / Ukraine war, have made fertilizer at market prices too expensive for most farmers, in turn threatening rural livelihoods and food security in Malawi. Fertilizer supply to the country has also been running far short of demand. Malawi’s annual fertilizer consumption is at 350,000MT. The Fertilizer Association of Malawi estimates that current stocks are standing at 89,822MT.

Sustain Africa –founded by the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), Rabobank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and AGRA – is working with the government of Malawi to supply 52,000 metric tonnes of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizer to Malawian farmers through the Malawi government’s Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

Sustain Africa has led in coordinating private sector actors and government to enable the provision of 52,000MT of NPK fertilizer. Sustain Africa facilitated and funded the transport of 10,000 metric tonnes (MT) of monoammonium phosphate (MAP), donated by Moroccan fertilizer producer OCP to the Malawi government, from Beira port in Mozambique to Malawi. Sustain Africa is further coordinating the conversion of the MAP donation to 52,000MT of NPK fertilizer through blending companies Optichem in Blantyre and the Malawi Fertilizer Company in Liwonde. This will be made available to farmers through the Malawi government’s Affordable Inputs Programme which guarantees a price of US$15 per bag (vs. market price of US$65 per bag) for 1 bag of NPK and 1 bag of urea. The government is funding approximately US$40 million covering the additional raw materials needed for the production of NPK, blending, and distribution of the fertilizer throughout Malawi. Sustain Africa is funding US$1 million for transport from Beira to the blending companies, and coordination of the actors involved.