Depending on the season and on who you ask, tobacco accounts for between 40 and 70 percent of Malawi’s export earnings.
In a good season, the golden leaf generates a relative level of wealth in the countryside and earns the nation much-needed foreign currency to import the products and services it cannot produce at home.
In a bad season, there will be poverty in the villages.
Read our special report to learn how Malawi is diversifying to make its economy more resilient and prepare for a future with less tobacco.
Climate Policy and Sustainability Take Center Stage at GTNF 2026
The panel examined how the industry is responding to environmental pressures through sustainability strategies, regulation, and government cooperation.
FDA Names Koplow as Tobacco Center Director
Koplow served at FDA since 2011, including as senior counselor to the commissioner, and most recently serving as CTP’s acting director.
Surviving a Global Trade System: GTNF 2026
The panel focused on cross-border challenges involving taxes, tariffs, regulation, movement of goods and services, and labor.
Supply Chain Resilience will Depend on Regulatory Readiness: GTNF26
The panel emphasized that regulation—not supply disruptions alone—will remain one of the biggest risks facing suppliers as new nicotine products and requirements continue to emerge.
BAT Releases 352-Page Omni Update at GTNF 2026
“It’s a manifesto and a mandate. A manifesto to change and a mandate for action,” said BAT’s Kingsley Wheaton.
GTNF 2026 Opens with Focus on Harm Reduction, Innovation, Regulation
The forum’s mission of “honest dialogue” and finding common ground in evidence “has never been more important or critical to people who smoke.
Report Finds EU Lagging in Fight Against Illicit Tobacco
The auditors estimate the illicit tobacco trade costs the EU and its member states about €13 billion in lost revenue annually.
Armenia Tobacco Firm Exampted from Duties
DrimCompany has pledged to invest nearly $25 million and create 100 jobs.
