Make forex, not noise—Chakwera
President Lazarus Chakwera on Monday urged Malawians to provide solutions to problems facing the country, including foreign exchange shortages instead of making noise.
In his address during the official opening of the 2024 Tobacco Marketing Season at Chinkhoma Floors in Kasungu District, the President also cautioned everyone doing all kinds of misdeeds that derail the country’s progress.
He said: “The real economist is the farmer who produces to make forex. When there is no forex, it is not time to make noise. It is time to go to work and make the forex, that’s how we can deal with our economic challenges.”
But the President, who was visibly charged, was interrupted by a group of women clad in party colours who broke into political songs that competed with his attempt to continue delivering his speech.
On the tobacco marketing season, Chakwera warned against smuggling that is said to be rampant and he claimed to have identified the culprits behind it, saying they would face the law.
Turning to the tobacco buyers, the President took a more reconciliatory tone than former president Bingu wa Mutharika who fought them and accused the buyers of exploiting farmers with low prices. Bingu at one time threatened to deport some of the buyers.
But Chakwera expressed satisfaction with the prices on the opening day and said it was his hope the trend would continue.
He was later seen shaking hands with the buyers after seeing radiant faces among growers who had earlier sold their leaf.
One of the farmers, Lyson Kasangadzi, who was given the podium to express his views, echoed sentiments expressed inside the floors.
He, like the President and other speakers, said was keeping fingers crossed that prices would continue to be good after some leaf was bought at $3 per kilogramme.
Nyasa Tobacco board chairperson Konrad Buckle, however, allayed the fears on prices, saying his company, which offered the highest price on the day, will continue giving growers their sweat’s worth.
He said: “We’ve set the precedent today, tomorrow we have another auction in Lilongwe and again we are going to be visible that Nyasa is leading in prices and all we ideally want to do is that there is fair prices.”
The President started with the official opening of Tobacco Commission office building for Kasungu and toured construction of staff houses at the Engineering Battalion of the Malawi Defence Force in Kasungu.
