Malawi has a chronic hunger problem, with over one-fifth of the population unable to meet their daily food needs. One cause of the food shortage has been the poor crop harvests that the country has suffered for many years. However, in 2007 Malawi is on course for a bumper harvest, with the Ministry of Agriculture predicting a surplus of 1 million tons of maize. Behind these record results is the Government of Malawi’s fertilizer and seed subsidy programme, introduced in 2005.