China ready to buy Malawi’s flue cured tobacco

Chinese Ambassador Pan Hejun says China is ready to purchase every leaf of the flue cured tobacco the country can produce this year on wards because the market in China is very huge.

Speaking in an interview recently, Hejun said Malawi’s flue cured tobacco has got a market in China although underproduction is a huge setback.

Said Hejun: “We have about 1.3 billion people in China, most of whom are smokers. The market is very huge and we can buy every flue cured leaf the country can produce. If the market is there, then what the country [Malawi] needs to do is to increase production.”

Hejun also said coffee and rice are the other crops that can help the country generate forex only if they are grown in large quantities.

“Mzuzu coffee is the best and Karonga rice is also one of the best in the world. If this country can increase production of these crops, then markets can easily be found. If a country produces a product in small quantities, it becomes difficult to attract buyers,” said Hejun.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ulemu Chilapondwa said government has been sensitising farmers to increase production of flue cured tobacco.

“Last year, we produced only 19 million kilogrammes of flue cured tobacco and all of it was taken by other buyers.  There was very little tobacco left for other buyers, hence China did not buy any tobacco. This year, with tobacco companies introducing the Integrated Production System (IPS), we will have more tobacco and China will be able to acquire some,” said Chilapondwa.

He commended tobacco companies involved in IPS for engaging farmers in agro-forestry and re-forestation as flue cured tobacco uses more trees.

“We have seen companies giving farmers tree seedlings to plant in areas where trees were depleted and this is very good because trees are an essential component in curing tobacco,” said Chilapondwa.

Smoking is a popular activity for nearly half the male population in China where there are 350 million smokers.

Currently, Malawi is the world’s largest burley producer.