The pace at which tobacco is flowing to Mzuzu Auction Floors has been described as slow just few days before the market officially opens on Monday, April 8, according to Malawi’s The Daily Times.
Mzuzu Auction Floors Assistant Manager Joseph Kawinga said the pace of tobacco deliveries is low as most farmers are still processing their leaf.
He said by Tuesday, the floors had received around 137 bales. He, however, remained optimistic that the numbers should pick up as the official opening draws close.
He allayed fears that the low traffic signals the decline in production of the green gold, the country’s top foreign exchange earner, which currently battles anti-smoking lobbies from international groups including the World Health Organization. Kawinga maintained that farmers are not shunning the crop arguing that the floors will meet its targeted tobacco tonnage.