President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has called for stronger efforts to protect and support tobacco farmers, saying they play an important role in Malawi’s economy.
He made the remarks on Wednesday at the official launch of the 2024/2025 Tobacco Market Season, held at the Auction Holdings Ground in Kanengo, Lilongwe.
President Chakwera said tobacco farmers help stabilize the Malawi Kwacha and bring in much-needed foreign currency, which supports the country’s growth.
Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, praised farmers for producing good-quality tobacco this season. He said both the ministry and tobacco buyers are happy with the high standards and are hopeful that farmers will get good prices this year.
Tobacco Commission Chairperson, Dr. Godfrey Chapola, also thanked President Chakwera for standing with farmers to ensure they benefit from their hard work.
He said tobacco production this year has gone up to 170 million kilograms from 133 million kilograms last year. He added that buyers had earlier shown interest in buying up to 200 million kilograms.
Source: Malawi Government
