RULING BY THE HON MADAM SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED ON THURSDAY, 16TH MARCH, 2023, BY MR R K CHITOTELA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR PAMBASHE CONSTITUENCY, AGAINST HON R M PHIRI, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE FOR CONTRAVENING STANDING ORDER 165 BY STATING THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD IMPLEMENT THE FISP PROGRAMME IN THE 2023/2024 FARMING SEASON CONTRARY TO THE POSITION GIVEN BY THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING IN THE 2023 BUDGET ADDRESS THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD MOVE FROM FISP TO CASP

Hon Members will recall that on Thursday, 16th March, 2023, when the House was considering the Ministerial Statement on the Distribution of Farming Inputs for the 2023/2024 Farming Season and Mr M Simushi, Member of Parliament for Sikongo, was debating, Mr R K Chitotela, Member of Parliament for Pambashe Constituency, raised a Point of Order. The Point of Order was against Hon R M Phiri, Minister of Agriculture. In his Point of Order, Mr R K Chitotela, MP, cited Standing Order 65, which requires members to ensure that the information they provide to the House is factual and verifiable. 

In his Point of Order, Mr R K Chitolela, MP, alleged that there was inconsistency in policy pronouncements by the Government regarding the farming inputs programme. He explained that, on the one hand, the Hon Minister of Finance and National Planning had, in his 2023 Budget Address, stated that the Government was shifting from the Farmers’ Input Support Programme (FISP) to the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme (CASP). He further stated that, on the other hand, the Hon Minister of Agriculture, in his Ministerial Statement, had said that the Government would continue with the FISP programme. In that regard, he asked for clarity on which of the two Programmes the Government would implement.

Hon Members, in response to the Point of Order, the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker reserved her ruling in order to study the matter and adequately compare the 2023 Budget address to the Minister of Agriculture’s Ministerial Statement. 

Hon Members, in studying the matter, I had recourse to the verbatim record of the Proceedings of Thursday, 16th March, 2023 and the Ministerial Statement rendered by Hon R M Phiri, MP, on that day. I also had recourse to the 2023 Budget Address delivered to the House by Hon Dr S Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning. 

Hon Members, in presenting the Budget Address, Hon Dr S Musokotwane, MP, stated, among others, as follows:

“I am duty bound to provide clarity on a false matter that was at one time circulating in some social media that Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) will no longer be available because of the IMF supported programme. To the contrary, FISP continues in the 2022/2023 farming season with the same strength as before. However, Madam Speaker, in addition to providing input support, FISP will be reformed to include extension service support; irrigation development; access to finance; support to value addition; and storage logistics. The new expanded programme will be called Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme.”

From the foregoing excerpt, it is clear that, in his Budget Address, the Hon Minister of Finance and National Planning categorically stated that FISP would continue. It is also clear that he further said that the programme would be expanded to include other services, hence, the change in its name to CASP.

From the verbatim record, it is also evident that, in answering the follow-up question asked by Mr M Simushi, MP, the Hon Minister of Agriculture explained that FISP was part of CASP because CASP had several variables one of them being FISP.  This statement is consistent with the Hon Minister of Finance and National Planning’s statement in his Budget Address.

From the foregoing it is evident that Hon R M Phiri, MP’s statement was consistent with the Government’s position as contained in the 2023 Budget Address and, therefore, factual and verifiable. In that regard, the Hon Minister was not out of order. 

I thank you.