The Malawi government has announced plans to remove 400,000 people from a scheme providing subsidised farm inputs.
The Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) currently benefits 1.5 million people, but this number will be reduced to 1.1 million in the next agricultural season.
Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale said the move was aimed at graduating farmers to other programmes, such as cash transfers and public works initiatives.
The decision was revealed at a meeting with civil society organisations in Lilongwe, organised by Oxfam and the Civil Society Agriculture Network.
The AIP scheme provides discounted seeds and fertilisers to smallholder farmers.
No further details were given on the criteria for selecting which farmers would be removed from the scheme.
