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| Business |
| Aret expects quality tobacco |
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by
Joseph Langa, 03 February 2003
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Malawi is expected to yield more and good quality tobacco this year than last year, Agriculture Research and Extension Trust (Aret) said on Friday.
Aret Executive Director Eric Chilembwe said high production of tobacco will result into the country earning more foreign exchange earnings.
According to official estimates, tobacco sales raised about US$160.057 million from a total 134 million kilogrammes of tobacco sold through the auction floors by the end of the season in September last year.
Tobacco is Malawi’s major foreign exchange earner, contributing about 75 percent of total foreign earnings per year.
He said data collected in the fields indicate that there will be a bumper yield and good quality leaf this year.
Chilembwe, who was speaking during a tobacco field day at Kakuyu farm in Lilongwe, attributed the high crop estimates to the good rainfall experienced in most parts of the country.
“Looking at the crop in the fields right now, I believe we are going to have a much better quality tobacco this year than last year because the rains are not coming continuously. This is good because all the fertilizer applied will be utilised by the crop.
“Our reports from extension workers and scientists in the fields also indicate that apart from the predicted good quality leaf, the country is also expected to realise a bumper yield this year than last year,” he said.
But he said the total earnings will depend on the market and the handling of tobacco during grading and packaging stages.
The average price of burley, the country’s major tobacco crop, was US$1 last year.
“Some farmers deliberately mix tobacco of different grades in one bail which affect the quality. Others will even attempt to put stones in tobacco bails to increase the weight, which only affects the quality of the leaf at the market. We also hope that the prices at the auction floors will be better than last year,” Chilembwe said.
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