Dr. Chiyembekeza said this when he opened Chinkhoma Auction Floors on Friday in Kasungu which has rolled out sales with farmers pleading for the prices to keep rising.

Chiyembekeza explained that the market environment has started vibrantly with minimum price rising from 85 cents to over 1 US dollar.

     “The situation is calm because the pricing has not been that bad for a start. We expect this year the prices to be much      better as compared to last year because production has kind of decreased as opposed to what we had last year,” said Chiyembekeza.

Chief Executive Officer for Tobacco Control Commission Dr. Bruce Munthali observed that the quality of the leaf this year has improved.

    “Since the market opened, the retention rate has been very low ranging between 0 and 7% which is quite impressive for a    market that is in its early stage. Farmers are really taking good care for their crop” pointed Munthali.

Around 181 million kilograms are expected to go through the floors this year, 10 million kilograms less than last season.