Tobacco is and would continue to dominate the Malawian economy in the short and medium term, despite global anti smoking campaign, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Binton Kutsaira has said.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony of 65 students who underwent a one year certificate course in tobacco production, the deputy minister said the crop was a strategic tool towards poverty alleviation. He said this year's tobacco prices, especially of burley, at US$ 1.62 per kg was the best since 1992, attributing the development to current competition of buyers on market.
According to Kutsaira, the country makes about 20 billion Malawi kwacha ($145 million) every year in an industry that engages about 300,000 farming families. "The increased demand for our tobacco is because of the entry into the market of new companies like Premium Tama Tobacco and Malawi Leaf Tobacco Companies," he said. He advised the new graduates to seek loans from financial institutions to start their own tobacco commercial farms.
This was the 7th graduation group at Mwimba Farm Institute (MFI) for students specialising in tobacco production.
During the same function the minister opened a new library and lecture hall constructed with funding from Phillip Morris USA and Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company.
Daily Times
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