A total of 5 000 growers contracted to JTI will this year receive numerous prizes from solar panels to flex pumps as the company moves to encourage its growers to produce top quality leaf needed for its cigarette manufacturing business.

Petros Julius Mwale from Chilembwe 1 Village in Mponela, who was one of the recipients at a function held in Kanengo, Lilongwe said he felt appreciated for a role he plays in producing tobacco in the country.

“Tobacco is Malawi’s leading foreign exchange earner and as growers, we fuel the economy. However, I have always had the feeling that no one recognizes the role we play as people who produce the country’s major crop. What JTI has done today has shown that we still have people who appreciate the role we play in Malawi’s socio-economic development,” said Mwale.

Officially launching the program, JTI Leaf Malawi Corporate Affairs and Communications Director Harold Msusa said his company decided to reward growers following the impressive quality tobacco coming at the auction floors this year.

“JTI is rewarding excellence. This year the quality of the leaf has been phenomenal and as a way of encouraging our growers to produce such quality leaf and deliver their volumes as agreed when we contract them to produce the leaf for us, we decided to incentivize them further by giving them prizes,” said Msusa.

To qualify in the incentive plan, a grower is supposed to bring to auction floors, well graded and clean tobacco without non-tobacco related materials, deliver the agreed volumes the company signed with the grower and to repay their loans in time.

At the end of the season a total of 5 000 growers who meet these criteria will receive flex pumps and solar panels. In addition, every week, growers whose tobacco will be fetching high prices will also be walking home with t-shirts and caps.