The Ministry of Agriculture says the demand for tobacco in the 2023/2024 selling season will be high because of the impact of climate change.
Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale said this during the inauguration of Nyasa Tobacco Company at Kanengo in Lilongwe, a new tobacco buyer on the market.
“ Farmers should expect great returns this marketing season and government wants more tobacco buyers in the country to enhance competition on the market,” said Kawale.
Chairman for Nyasa Group of Companies, Konrad Buckle, has pledged to change the market dynamics to ensure that tobacco farmers are getting a fair value for their tobacco.
Nyasa Tobacco Company started buying tobacco on the auction floors towards the end of the previous selling season and this year, it intends to buy about 20 million Kilogrammes of tobacco.
In the 2022/2023 farming season, 120 million Kilogrammes of tobacco valued at $282.6 million was sold.
Recently, Tobacco Commission (TC) projected that this year’s tobacco production could jump to 140 million Kilogrammes.
The 2023/2024 tobacco selling season opens on 15th April 2024.
