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Category: Agriculture & Sustainability

  • Malawi’s Tobacco Sales Drop 28% in First Eight Weeks

    Malawi’s Tobacco Sales Drop 28% in First Eight Weeks

    Malawi’s tobacco industry generated MK223.4 billion ($129.6 million) in sales during the first eight weeks of the 2026 marketing season, according to the Tobacco Commission. A total of 62.1 million kg of tobacco was sold at an average price of MK3,588 ($2.08) per kg.

    The Tobacco Commission said market performance remained stable despite lower volumes and earnings compared with the same period in 2025, when 72.7 million kg were sold for MK309.3 billion ($179 million), marking a nearly 15% reduction in volume and 28% reduction in earnings.

    By week eight, the overall rejection rate across auction and contract sales stood at 5.5%. Contract burley tobacco recorded a rejection rate of 2.8%, while auction burley rejection reached 64%.

  • Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Fake Tobacco Seed

    Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Fake Tobacco Seed

    Zimbabwe intensified enforcement against counterfeit and illegally imported tobacco seed as farmers establish seedbeds for the 2026/27 season following the opening of the tobacco planting window on June 1. Agriculture Permanent Secretary Obert Jiri described the distribution of fake seed as “agro-terrorism,” warning that it threatens crop productivity, farmer incomes, and the integrity of Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry. He said the country produces sufficient tobacco seed locally through the Tobacco Research Board and licensed seed companies and has no need for unauthorized imports.

    Authorities warned that individuals found importing or distributing unapproved tobacco seed varieties could face legal action. Kutsaga Research CEO Frank Magama said Zimbabwe’s certified seed system is based on extensive testing and breeding programs designed to deliver high yields, leaf quality, and disease tolerance under local growing conditions.

  • N.C. Politicians Call for Relief for Tobacco Farmers

    N.C. Politicians Call for Relief for Tobacco Farmers

    Members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, led by Representative Don Davis (D-NC1) and Senator Thom Tillis (R), urged congressional appropriators to include tobacco producers in any future agricultural disaster relief package. The lawmakers cited an analysis from North Carolina State University showing tobacco production costs rose about 30% between 2021 and 2025, from $4,148 per acre to $5,398 per acre, compared with an 18% increase across U.S. agriculture overall.

    The letter argues that rising input and labor costs, weakened export demand, drought conditions, and lower commodity prices have placed significant financial pressure on tobacco growers and should be considered when determining eligibility for future farm assistance programs.

  • Kentucky Tobacco Farm Gets DOL Reprieve Over Visa Enforcement

    Kentucky Tobacco Farm Gets DOL Reprieve Over Visa Enforcement

    Triple R Farms, a tobacco farm in Kentucky, obtained a pause in Department of Labor administrative proceedings while the U.S. Supreme Court considers broader questions about federal agencies’ use of in-house administrative law judges (ALJs). The case stems from allegations that the farm violated H-2A temporary agricultural worker program requirements involving wages, recordkeeping, and worker housing, with the Labor Department seeking roughly $70,000 in penalties.

    Triple R Farms argues that the government cannot impose such penalties through an administrative proceeding and that the case should instead be heard in an Article III federal court before a jury. The dispute is part of a wider wave of legal challenges to federal agency enforcement powers following recent court rulings that have increased scrutiny of administrative adjudication systems used by regulators.

  • Pakistani Tob. Growers Call to End Export Tax

    Pakistani Tob. Growers Call to End Export Tax

    Tobacco growers, traders, and industry representatives in Pakistan called for the immediate withdrawal of the Rs390 ($1.40) per kilogram tobacco export tax and a broader review of sector taxation, arguing current policies are reducing farmer incomes and export competitiveness. Speaking alongside political leaders including Asad Qaiser, industry representatives said government revenue from the sector had fallen from Rs294 billion ($1.1 billion) to Rs165 billion ($594 million) following higher taxes, while tobacco prices paid to growers were reportedly around Rs180 ($0.65) per kilogram lower than a year earlier.

    The group also opposed a proposed minimum indicative price of Rs525 ($1.89) per kilogram for Virginia tobacco in the 2026-27 budget, called for a third tobacco tax tier to support domestic manufacturers, and urged authorities to ease regulatory pressure on growers, dealers and exporters.

  • Bulgarian Tobacco Farmers Urge EC to Consider Rural Impact of Regs

    Bulgarian Tobacco Farmers Urge EC to Consider Rural Impact of Regs

    More than 8,300 tobacco growers in Bulgaria urged the European Commission to assess the economic and social impact of planned revisions to the EU Tobacco Products Directive, warning that new regulations should not harm rural communities or fuel illicit trade. In a video submission to the Commission’s public consultation, growers said decisions made in Brussels could have significant consequences for tobacco-dependent regions across Bulgaria and the EU.

    The appeal comes as the EU prepares a major overhaul of tobacco and nicotine product regulations, with producers calling for detailed impact assessments on farming, employment, local economies, and the wider tobacco value chain before legislative proposals are finalized later this year.

  • Kenyan Tobacco Farmers Protest Harsh Working Conditions

    Kenyan Tobacco Farmers Protest Harsh Working Conditions

    Tobacco farmers in Migori County, Kenya, are calling on the government to require leaf-buying companies to provide protective equipment, citing health risks linked to tobacco cultivation. Growers from Kuria, Suna West, and Uriri regions say more than 20,000 farmers could benefit from access to basic gear such as gloves, aprons, and masks, which they argue are necessary to reduce exposure to skin and respiratory illnesses associated with handling tobacco.

    Some farmers say they are currently bearing medical costs linked to tobacco-related ailments and accuse companies of not prioritizing worker safety, while also urging stricter enforcement of safety requirements in the sector. Tobacco firms operating in the region, including British American Tobacco and other leaf companies, have said protective gear is provided under existing arrangements or offered on credit, though they acknowledge cost and compliance challenges. The dispute comes alongside broader environmental concerns raised by officials, who warn that tobacco curing practices relying on wood fuel are contributing to deforestation and environmental degradation in parts of the region.

  • Pakistani Tobacco Traders Threaten Company Blocks

    Pakistani Tobacco Traders Threaten Company Blocks

    Tobacco traders in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province threatened to block multinational companies from purchasing tobacco leaf if tax-related disputes with federal and provincial authorities are not resolved. At last week’s meeting of the Tobacco Traders’ Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Swabi, representatives from key growing districts warned they would escalate action unless negotiations begin with the government and political stakeholders.

    Traders are demanding restoration of more than 5,000 grower contracts, reinstatement of last year’s procurement quota, and greater intervention by the Pakistan Tobacco Board. They also called for changes to the tax regime, alleging excessive taxation and harassment by enforcement officials.

    The association further urged the removal of Rangers from Green Leaf Threshing centers and broader tax relief for the sector, arguing that reforms are needed to support cultivation and exports.

  • Malawi Tobacco Commission Faults Farmers for Poor Handling, Rejections

    Malawi Tobacco Commission Faults Farmers for Poor Handling, Rejections

    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.

  • Malawi Tobacco Farmers Facing 91% Rejection Rate

    Malawi Tobacco Farmers Facing 91% Rejection Rate

    Malawi tobacco farmers are raising renewed concerns over extremely high rejection rates for auction burley tobacco during the 2026 marketing season, with some growers reporting rejection levels as high as 91% at the Lilongwe Auction Floors. Farmers claim the system unfairly favors contract tobacco, which moves more smoothly through sales channels, while independent growers face repeated rejections, mounting transport and accommodation costs, and shrinking profitability.

    Parliamentary Agriculture Committee Chairperson Antony Kamoto acknowledged the challenges and called for contract reforms and greater competition among tobacco buyers, while Tobacco Commission Chairperson Reverend Daniel Gunya said authorities are engaging stakeholders to address the issue. Despite the tensions, Malawi has sold about 19.3 million kg of tobacco worth approximately $40.8 million in the first four weeks of the season, with average prices at $2.12 per kg.