By Khumbo Kaliwo, Thomas Chilaya & Jarson Malowa:

Agriculture extension workers, who are at the heart of the country’s food security efforts as they work with smallholder farmers at the grass roots level, have gone decades without promotion, The Daily Times has learned.

This is in apparent contradiction to provisions of the Civil Service Act, which stipulates that promotion within the civil service requires a minimum number of years served at a current grade alongside satisfactory performance evaluations.

One extension worker in Zomba District, who opted for anonymity for fear of reprisals, said he had been working in the position, which falls under Grade K, for over 15 years—with no recognition through promotion.

“I just hear that civil servants are evaluated, after which one’s immediate supervisors make recommendations to the Ministry [of

Agriculture]. I have never been evaluated; not once.

“How can we be motivated to do the job that way? It is not fair,” said the worker.

In Blantyre District, two agriculture extension workers lamented that some of them were leaving the civil service to seek greener pastures in non-governmental organisations and the private sector due to lack of incentives.

“There are no promotions for us. If anything, we only get salary increments through budgetary allocations in Parliament, as opposed to through other acceptable mechanisms such as promotion.

“Who can stay in a job where they are not appreciated? That is why some of us are against the 20 percent salary increment that civil servants’ representatives have agreed upon with members of the Government Negotiation Team (GNT),” said a female extension worker.

She said she knew of people who had been on the same grade, namely Grade K, for over 16 years.

Tuesday, such claims were corroborated in Lilongwe, where Agriculture Extension Development Coordinator (AEDC) for Nyanja Extension Planning Area (EPA) Thembani Kadeka and others had a meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Kadeka said they wanted the government to introduce an upward grade for them as a way of improving their welfare.

“We are pleading for promotion as there are others who are retiring on the same grade on which they were employed 30 years ago,” Kadeka said.

He further lamented poor housing, saying most extension workers were staying in ramshackle houses.

“Extension workers also face mobility challenges,” Kadeka said.

Kadeka said frequent meetings with Ministry of Agriculture officials would help the agriculture sector find ways of maximising food production.

He was quick to say they were happy that ministry officials were engaging them on issues they face, especially at a time some farmers needed their services due to the dry spell that has culminated in some maize wilting.