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The toil that tobacco growers go through to produce the crop reaped excitement on Saturday when the New Building Society (NBS) dished scores of bags of fertiliser and bicycles to lucky farmers from the Northern Region.
NBS branch manager for Mzuzu Shepherd Tembo said the prize galore marked the end of the bank’s annual awards to their farming clientele, who join the competition through special Fixed Deposits accounts.
The bank gave away the prizes at a function hosted at the building society’s Mzuzu branch.
“I cannot imagine my luck, just imagine that with the K15,000 worth fixed deposit account I opened with the bank, I have yielded a bicycle and six bags of 50 kg fertiliser. This is more than what I invested,” said Linly Mhango, a grower from Ekwendeni, who scooped the first position.
Flanked by her husband Style, Mhango could not help but dance as the two received their newly-won bicycle and fertiliser bags, proudly appreciating their 10-year association with NBS.
Mhango’s runners up, Gift Gama of Bwengu and Chisenga Burley Club of Rumphi, won a bicycle each plus four and two bags of fertiliser, respectively.
“Tobacco growers work hard to produce the best tobacco to earn the country the much needed forex, hence it is always comforting to see banks like the New Building Society giving them such incentives,” said Tobacco Association of Malawi (Tama) second vice president Smart Zimba.
Zimba also hailed the bank for also dishing more bags as consolation prizes, “There is always joy in sharing, the bank is very right to dish out these consolation prizes, instead of just the grand winners.”
Eight farmers were also given two bags each as a consolation, while an undisclosed grower was awarded a special prize of a bicycle for opening a fixed deposit account of K1 million, under the same arrangement.
“Since the owner is not here, and going by the ethics of the bank, we cannot disclose his name, but the gentle grower had the biggest account. We felt we needed to appreciate his banking with us,” said Tembo.
According to Tembo, the competition has been running nationally for three years, and indicators are that it will continue.
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