Axe hangs over ISPAAD, other state subsidies

The P600-plus million each year that government spends on the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) is set to be substantially cut going forward, as the economy is restructured towards long-term growth and resilience.

ISPAAD is the main agricultural inputs programme introduced in 2008 to support communal farmers. Each season, ISPAAD provides farmers with various inputs such as seeds, tillage services, fertilisers, herbicides and others in the interests of increasing grain production and promoting food security at household and national level.