Growers left in limbo

The tobacco market in Lilongwe, Malawi, was suspended yesterday after hundreds of tobacco farmers protested against a decision by JTI Leaf Malawi to stop buying tobacco from farmers the company had contracted, according to a story in The Nyasa Times.
JTI officials reportedly had not been to the market since Monday and the Times said that no JTI representatives were on hand to confirm or deny a suggestion by one unnamed source that the company had accused the farmers of over-production.
However, the head of communications at Auction Holdings Limited (AHL) confirmed that there had been a stand-off between the company and the tobacco farmers.
He said there were nearly 300 tobacco bales at the Lilongwe sales floors that had been delivered by tobacco farmers contracted by JTI, but that the company was refusing to buy the leaf.
Some people at the auction said JTI had asked AHL and the Tobacco Control Commission to sell the leaf to other buyers, but that they, too, were refusing to buy it.
Meanwhile, the Times’ source reportedly said that the same type of stand-off was occurring at the Limbe sales floors, but that JTI was still buying tobacco from the Mzuzu and Chinkhoma floors.
‘The bitter tobacco farmers were meeting late afternoon on Thursday to chart the way forward following the decision by JTI to abandon them after the company had signed a mutual agreement to let the farmers grow the tobacco for the JTI,’ the Times report concluded.