Tobacco farmers are optimistic that they will reap the most of their toil this season as they expect to produce good leaf, which will also attract competitive prices.
Some farmers we have randomly spoken to say their leaf looks promising and they expect to bring to the market quality tobacco.
Trinitus Nyirenda, a tobacco farmer from Kasungu District, said except for the rise in fertilizer prices, she expects good tidings.
“The output would be high if we were to get enough rain. We also expect the government to take measures that would necessitate better prices. We expect better earnings,” she said.
Zomba District-based tobacco farmer Mcnight Magwira said he expects better prices for quality leaf this season.
He premised his optimism on last year’s performance of the market where prices picked up more than a year before.
In the 2022-23 season, Malawi raked in $282.6 million (about K480.4 billion) from 120 million kilogrammes (kg) of all types of tobacco at an average price of $2.35 (about K4 000) per kg.
The earnings went up from $182 million (about K309.4 billion) realised in the 2021-22 season from 85 million kg of tobacco sold at an average of $2.14 (about K3,600).
Another farmer, Mary Mateyu of Mulero Village, TA Chikowi, in Zomba District said her leaf looks promising this year with prospects for a rise in yields.
Industry regulator, the Tobacco Commission (TC), is undertaking the first crop estimate to give production projections.
TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe said the commission is still engaging stakeholders on addressing farmers’ concerns over elevated cost of production.
“We will leave the door open to additional buyers to buy tobacco this season. With more buyers, we expect to improve competition, which ultimately translates into competitive prices,” he said.
Malawi is one of the top producers of tobacco in the world.