TC rolls out grower tracking system, to boost confidence

Tobacco Commission (TC) has introduced a grower tracking system designed to boost international market confidence and safeguard the country’s position in the global tobacco trade. In a statement, the tobacco regulator said that the know your grower project will establish a comprehensive database of tobacco growers in the couintry, enabling buyers to trace production from individual farms to the auction floor. TC said the initiative seeks to address longstanding traceability challenges that have limited access to some international markets.

Reads the statement: “The know your grower project will be implemented during the 2026/27 grower licensing exercise. “In the first phase, growers will provide personal details, farm location, land size, household information and production data. “In the second phase, Tobacco Commission personnel will visit farms to capture geo-tagged locations of tobacco fields.” TC said participation in the exercise will be mandatory for growers seeking to sell tobacco in the 2026/27 tobacco marketing season.

In an interview on Wednesday, agricultural economist Christopher Kang’oma described the initiative as critical for meeting international demands for traceability and responsible production. He said the system will ease the tracing of all growers by 2027, positioning Malawi’s tobacco as an environmental, social and governance (ESG)-compliant product. Said Kang’oma: “A comprehensive grower database can unlock transformative economic gains by securing market access and price premiums.

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“Meeting compliance requirements helps to stabilise existing markets and open doors to higher-value buyers.” He said the system will improve value chain management, policymaking and production forecasting. Agriculture extension expert Leonard Chimwaza, in an interview, noted that as international buyers increasingly adhere to ESG standards, traceability has shifted from being an advantage to a requirement. He said Malawi’s reliance on auction floors without robust tracking has made it harder to attract premium buyers.

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