Malawi’s Tobacco Commission has issued a stern warning to tobacco farmers over poor handling practices that it says are damaging the country’s leaf quality, depressing prices, and driving up rejection rates at auction floors. Speaking in Lilongwe at an engagement meeting with the Media Network on Tobacco, TC Public Relations Officer Telephorus Chigwenembe condemned practices such as mixing tobacco grades, adding water to bales to inflate weight, and manipulating leaf quality — conduct he said violates the Tobacco Industry Act of 2019 and is eroding market confidence in Malawi’s tobacco. He stressed that the industry can only stay globally competitive if farmers improve grading, curing, and professionalism, and he urged growers to prioritize quality over quantity.
The warnings come amid mounting farmer complaints about low prices and rising rejections. Governance and economic commentator Dr. Ben Dzolowere offered pointed criticism of growers, arguing that many of the losses are self-inflicted through poor grading and careless handling. He accused some farmers of mixing green leaf with ripe leaf, blending dust with stalk, and concealing mold with wet spots to deceive buyers and graders, and condemned collusion between some graders and classifiers aimed at unfairly securing better grades. His central message was that while farmers cannot control global prices, they fully control the grade they bring to market, and that “bad grade guarantees a bad price.”
Dzolowere argued that clean, well-cured, properly graded tobacco gives farmers stronger bargaining power and attracts buyer competition, while damp, mixed, poorly graded leaf invites lower offers from buyers who are driven by profitability and export standards rather than sympathy. Industry experts cited in the article agreed that without improvements in grading, curing, and handling, Malawi will continue to face high rejection rates and lower earnings despite strong production volumes. The Tobacco Commission says it has intensified awareness campaigns on proper tobacco preparation, maintaining that better quality is the fastest route to better prices and restored confidence in the sector.
