The 2020/2021 national budget which the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Joseph Mwanamveka, presented in parliament on Friday, June 12, is still attracting criticisms from experts from different fields who have termed it as a consumption and ambitious package.

An agriculture expert, Tamani Nkhono-Mvula, has faulted government on implementation of Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP).

According to Mvula, the increase of budgetary allocation of FISP from K35 billion last year to K38 billion in the Budget estimates is misallocation of resources.

He said the Programme is not benefiting majority of Malawians as the said 1 million targeted farm families practice subsistence type of agriculture.

Mvula said: “FISP has contributed very little to the economic transformation of this country and my understand is that this is a campaign budget where by government and the opposition are trying to outline each other and this is evidenced in the issue of reducing the fertilizer.”

He further expressed worry that for the past 20 years agriculture sector has been given an allocation of 10% of the total budget a development which he said has failed to contribute significantly in the sector.

Meanwhile, a youth rights activist, Lucky Mbewe, has called on relevant organizations and stakeholders to monitor and actively query on the funds that have been allocated to the youth in the 2020/2021 budget to ensure that they are used effectively.

Mbewe has said that the funds have not been given to the right beneficiaries for a long time and as a result this has made the funds lose its relevance as only a selected few who have party affiliations have benefited.

2020/2021 budget has a deficit of K651 billion which the country will have to borrow.