Tobacco farmers target demand

Tobacco Farmers Association of Malawi (Tama) Trust president Abiel Kalima-Banda has said farmers will produce tobacco to meet the current demand of 170 million kilogrammes (kgs) from buyers. He said this at Kavuula in Mzimba District during the Agricultural Research Extension Trust (Aret) Field Day where various agriculture products were showcased. However, the 170 million kg demand is lower than the 242.5 million kg the Tobacco Commission (TC) licensed farmers to produce this growing season.

In an interview, Kalima-Banda said farmers should be concerned about overproduction because it affects leaf prices. He said: “Tobacco farmers need to supply as per the demand from the buying companies and not more because this affects pricing systems. “This is why we always urge farmers to produce volumes of leaves not in excess of what is demanded.” In an earlier interview, TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe said the number of licensed tobacco buying companies has now declined to eight from 11 during the last marketing season.

But, Kalima-Banda said the reduced number of buyers cannot affect leaf prices as long as farmers do not exceed the market demand. Aret chief executive officer Albert Changaya said this year’s tobacco production is uncertain due to various factors. “Some areas have received excessive rain while others experienced prolonged drought.

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Meanwhile, Changaya discouraged tobacco farmers from using blacklisted chemicals because they are hazardous to the crop and environment. On his part, Inkosi Kampingo Sibande urged farmers to conserve forests for sustenance of tobacco farming. “Tobacco farmers should plant trees when they cut some and, also, adopt modern technologies to save forests,” he added.

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