Tobacco flood-damage being assessed in Malawi

Malawi’s Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) has started assessing the damage that has been caused to tobacco crops by the floods that have followed heavy rains in recent months.

CEO Bruce Munthali told the local press that the heavy rains and floods had caused leaching of fertilisers, and made it difficult for farmers to control weeds and cure their tobacco.

He said the heavy rains had led also to the outbreak of tobacco diseases that were affecting the production of the crop.

It will take the commission two weeks to come up with a detailed damage assessment report.