‘Form cooperatives to end tenancy labour’

Tobacco Association of Malawi (Tama) Farmers Trust has urged communities in Kasungu District to form cooperatives to deal with the outlawed tenancy labour system in the tobacco industry.

Tama Addressing Decent Work Deficits and Improving Access to Rights in Malawi’s Tobacco Sector (Address) project coordinator Sam Kalimba said this in an interview yesterday on the sidelines of a farmers training on how farmers can easily adopt the monthly wage system if they are to be financially stable at Chamama in the district.

He said: “The Address project is dedicated to promoting cooperatives as a strategic means to eliminate tenancy labour which has been a longstanding concern in the agricultural landscape.

“Our main focus this time is on financial literacy where the project aims at building capacities of existing cooperatives and Tama zones to become active business entities.”

Kalimba said Chamama Zone, although not yet a cooperative, plays a critical role in educating and engaging communities to cease detrimental labour practices such as child labour, worker victimisation, abuses and tenancy.

“We have engaged the Ministry of Trade and Industry to provide awareness on the need to have farmers’ cooperatives here in Chamama,” he said.

Chamama Tama Zone chairperson Kondwani Nkhoma said his group is ready to go into cooperatives as it strives to promote decent labour practices in the area.

Kasungu labour officer Olive Panyanja said her office is committed to working closely with partners like Tama Farmers Trust to address decent work deficits in the tobacco sector.

“The collaboration between Tama Farmers Trust and stakeholders underscores a step toward reshaping labour practices in Kasungu’s tobacco sector. We are here to support this project,” she said.

With funding from the Norwegian Government, Tama, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation and the Ministry of Labour, is implementing the four-year Address project in the district.