The Tobacco Commission (TC) says it has tightened measures to curb fraudulent practices in tobacco sales, warning that farmers who deliberately stuff bales with non-tobacco elements to increase weight will face serious consequences.
Farmers caught with such bales will lose 50 percent of the proceeds and repeat offenders risk forfeiting their entire consignment.
In the 2023/2024 season, TC confiscated over 5,000 bales of “nested” tobacco, earning around K647 million from the regraded 170,223 kilogrammes sold.
Public Relations Officer for TC, Telephorus Chigwenembe, explained that only this year proceeds from confiscated bales will be split 50-50 with the farmers involved. However, TC intends to retain all proceeds from confiscated nested tobacco starting in the 2025 season.
“Nesting” in tobacco involves concealing stems, scraps, and loose leaves within a bale, making it substandard and harmful to Malawi’s tobacco reputation.
