Smugglers continue to target Malawi’s top foreign exchange earner, tobacco, with the Tobacco Commission (TC) reporting one such case.
TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe said the case has been reported in Mchinji District in the Central Region.
“Yes, we have received one case in Mchinji District but we are still investigating the matter,” Chigwenembe told The Daily Times.
Mchinji Police Station spokesperson Limbani Mpinganjira corroborated the issue.
“I can confirm that we have registered a case but the matter is still under investigation,” Mpinganjira said.
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However, The Daily Times has established that law enforcers rounded up a vehicle that was carrying 48 bales of tobacco at Mkanda in Mchinji.
Sources at the Malawi Police Service headquarters told The Daily Times that they suspect that the bales were destined for Zambia.
Meanwhile, agriculture policy expert Leonard Chimwaza has urged the authorities to tighten the screws on tobacco smugglers.
“And, again, people should desist from the malpractice of smuggling tobacco to other countries so that we can help generate foreign exchange for the country. As you know, the country depends on tobacco and a few other crops to generate the much needed forex,” Chimwaza said
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The tobacco market is still in progress at all auction floors in the country.
Some farmers smuggle tobacco to Zambia in search of better prices.
In the first two weeks of this year’s tobacco sales season, Malawi has realised $37 million from sales of 13.9 million (kg).
The country is expected to sell 140 million kg of tobacco to the market.
During the 2023 tobacco sales season, the country earned $282.62 million from 120 million kg of the so-called green gold.
