An agricultural expert Tamani Nkhono Mvula has highlighted the need for government to give stiffer penalties to perpetrators of corruption in the process of rolling out Affordable Farm Inputs programme (AIP).

Mvula said this, following reports of selling underweighting fertilizers to beneficiaries in some of the districts like a recent case of supervisor of Kulima Gold who is currently in police’s custody in Kasungu.

“In my view, government should make sure that anyone found doing malpractice in the program should be punished accordingly,” Mvula said.

He added that the responsible ministry should consider utilizing other means when network problems have erupted saying this will address the general outcry.

Meanwhile, Lilongwe police has arrested two men for allegedly found with national identity cards and cash from people who wanted to buy cheap farm inputs under AIP.