By Brenda Kayo
The 2026 tobacco selling season will open next week, but farmers remain blank on minimum prices, which the authorities were yet to announce as we went to press.
Industry regulator, Tobacco Commission (TC), said yesterday, the market would open on Monday, starting with Lilongwe floors, then Chinkhoma floors in Kasungu on Tuesday.
In a statement, TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe said Limbe floors would open on Thursday to be followed by the Mzuzu floors on May 5.
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Chigwenembe said tobacco deliveries to three auction floors— Lilongwe, Chinkhoma and Limbe—started on Monday this week.
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But the announcement comes as the Ministry of Agriculture was yet to announce the minimum buying price for tobacco, leaving growers guessing.
When asked yesterday, its spokesperson , Salomy Gangire asked for time to respond on the benchmark prices.
But tobacco growers’ representative body, Tama Farmers Trust, said farmers were ready for the season and remained optimistic on prices.
In an interview, Tama Farmers Trust President Abiel Kalima Banda cautioned growers against nesting, a malpractice that involves concealing poor-quality leaf within higher-grade tobacco, thereby c o m p r o m i s i n g overall quality.
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“I urge farmers to avoid this practice. They should ensure proper grading of their tobacco to achieve higher quality and better prices for their produce,” Banda said.
He also appealed to tobacco buying companies to offer fair and competitive prices, taking into account the rising cost of farm inputs such as fertiliser, chemicals and labour, which have significantly increased production expenses for growers.
Meanwhile, agriculture policy expert Leonard Chimwaza has said he is hopeful that buyers will respond positively by offering rewarding prices, considering the elevated cost of production.
“Farmers are cautioned against tobacco nesting and the inclusion of non-tobacco materials in their produce, which led to high rejection rates in previous seasons. They need to showcase Malawi’s tobacco as being of premium quality to create a positive impression among buyers.
“We need to maintain a clean and credible market this year. Cases of nesting must be completely avoided if farmers are to benefit from better prices,” Chimwaza said.
Tobacco remains Malawi’s main foreign exchange earner.
During the 2025 tobacco market season, Malawi earned about $530 million (K927 billion) after selling 212 million kilogrammes (kg) of tobacco at an average price of $2.49 (K4,359) per kg.
The season was prolonged due to a significant increase in production costs.
With the 2026 season now set to open, stakeholders are hopeful that improved quality, fair pricing and adherence to market regulations would contribute to increased earnings and improved livelihoods for farmers across the country.
Eight companies are ready to buy tobacco this season, and they include JTI, Alliance One,Limbe Leaf, Hail & Cotton, Premium Tobacco, Associated Central African Limited, African Tobacco Services and Nyasa Manufacturing.
