TC urges farmers to uproot tobacco stalks

Tobacco Commission (TC), the country’s tobacco regulatory authority, has advised farmers to follow instructions and uproot the leaf’s stalks in their fields after harvest.

Speaking on Tuesday when they visited some tobacco farmers in Phalombe District, TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe commended those who have uprooted the stalks in their fields and encouraged others to follow suit.

He said: “It is a mixed reaction as we have seen that some farmers have uprooted tobacco stalks and we have also seen that others have not done so. To those that have not yet done so, they should do so quickly.”

Chigwenembe said uprooting the tobacco stalks soon after harvest is beneficial to the farmers and the crop, which contributes about 50 percent to the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

He said: “If we do not uproot the stalks in time, it means that we will be keeping diseases and pathogens will be carried on to next farming season, which will be bad for the crop’s growth.

“We would like to cut the life cycle of diseases and pathogens so that we can minimise chemical usage in the next season.”

Chigwenembe said farmers will also save money that they use to buy chemicals and also protect the soil from losing nutrients.

“It also helps to maintain the flavour and taste of our tobacco; hence, attracting more buyers,” he said.

One of the farmers, Weston Majiya from Nyezelera Village, Traditional Authority Nyezelera in Phalombe, attributed the failure to uproot the stalks to negligence and that many farmers are keeping themselves busy with other works.

He said: “We do uproot the stalks, but sometimes some farmers seem not to understand the significance of the practice as they focus on other activities when the harvesting period has completed.”

The 43-year-old farmer said he has earned K10 million from the eight bales he sold at Limbe Floors in the previous tobacco selling season.

“In the last year’s growing season, I used four bags of fertiliser on two hectares. Despite that some stalks were affected by the dry spell and I got eight bales,” he said.

His colleague, Thomson Chiwaya from Mangisa Village, said he earned more money from the 20 bales of tobacco and has bought land and paid schools fees for his children.

Chiwaya, who started tobacco farming in 2002, urged TC to open the tobacco market early next year.

In response, Chigwenembe said there are many factors they consider to open the market at a particular time.

But he said he is excited that in the last tobacco selling season, many farmers smiled all the way to the bank.

This year, Malawi chalked $377 million (about K660 billion) from tobacco, which was sold at an average price of $2.96