Tobacco marketing season has entered its second month with various tobacco farmers’ groups still engaging the Tobacco Commission (TC) to intervene on the low prices being offered at the floors.
TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe and Tama Farmers Trust president Abiel Kalima Banda confirmed on Wednesday that stakeholders are discussing the pricing issues this week at the request of a concerned group called Talima Network.
Chigwenembe said in an interview on Wednesday that the meeting is ongoing because price issues involve many stakeholders.
He said: “A group of concerned farmers called Talima Network wrote Tobacco Commission expressing concerns over this year’s prices. It is the commission that invited these farmers to a meeting.
“The outcome of the meetings will be shared and discussed at an appropriate time.”
On his part, Kalima Banda said Tama Farmers Trust attended the meeting as the main umbrella association of tobacco farmers.
“There are several farmers’ organisations that sometimes request for such discussions and that is not new,” he said.
The prevailing low prices put Malawi at a risk of losing more tobacco through smuggling as vendors and some farmers are tempted to sell their tobacco to neighbouring countries such as Zambia.
TC confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that through a joint operation with the Malawi Police Service, they confiscated 7 900 kg or 79 bales of tobacco eyeing cross-border trading.
Thus far, tobacco has raked in $80.8 million (about K140 billion), a drop from $108.5 million (about K189.9 billion) raised during the same period last year.
Last season, Malawi earned $396 million (about K693 billion) from tobacco, a jump from $282.6 million (about K494 billion) in 2023.
Tobacco brings in more than 50 percent of the country’s forex earnings.
