Malawi Persists in Tobacco Cultivation Despite Anti-Smoking Protests

According to a report by mwnation on January 28, despite facing a wave of anti-tobacco protests, Malawi remains adamant on continuing tobacco cultivation and aims to become the largest tobacco producing region in Southern Africa by 2028.

Joseph Chidanti-Malunga, Director of the Tobacco Commission (TC) in Malawi, stated in an interview during a tree-planting event on Saturday, January 27, that Malawi's short-term to long-term goal is to produce a minimum of 200 million kilograms of tobacco leaves annually.

He pointed out that despite some people opposing tobacco cultivation, much like there are people opposing coffee or sugar, it will not deter Malawi from continuing to grow tobacco. President Mutharika referred to tobacco as Malawi's lifeline, believing that without it, the country's economy would collapse.

It is ironic that Malawi, despite fully joining the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and approving it in August 2023, continues to insist on tobacco cultivation. The convention, which will come into effect on November 16, 2023, lays out specific steps for dealing with tobacco use and production, and addresses the issue of stabilizing health and reducing tobacco production through international coordination.

However, Maronga states that despite the ratification of the treaty, Malawi remains one of the world's economies reliant on tobacco.

William Chadza, the Executive Director of the Mwapata Institute, emphasized that the approval of this convention should serve as encouragement for Malawi to explore alternative agricultural products.

According to the guidelines in Malawi, tobacco is the country's main cash crop, contributing approximately 60% of foreign exchange earnings and contributing 15% to the economy. It directly or indirectly employs millions of people.

Last year, Malawi generated a revenue of $282.61 million from 120 million kilograms of tobacco, with an average price of $2.35 per kilogram. In comparison, the previous year's revenue from 85 million kilograms of tobacco was $182 million, with an average price of $2.14 per kilogram.