The Commission's corperate planning and development manager Hellings Nasoni said the money have been realized from the sale of 64.5 million kilograms of leaf, compared to 87.1 million kilos last year.

"We expect the sales to improve because we have sorted some concerns that were there among all the stakeholders," Nasoni said.

"The prices have started picking up. We are very sure that all will be good. On addressing the price issue we took a multifaceted approach, all stakeholders were involved, " said Nasoni.

The tobbaco selling season was opened in April this year in Lilongwe by the Tanzanian President John Magufuli who was accompanied by the country's leader Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.

Tobacco is Malawi's biggest source of foreign exchange, contributing over 60 percent to the economy.