By Isaac Salima:
Some tobacco farmers are blaming the Tobacco Commission (TC) over its decision to withhold bales of tobacco which was rejected on the market.
TC has, using the Tobacco Industry Act of 2024, confiscated nested tobacco.
The commission has described nesting as a deliberate undertaking to cheat, a development it says compromises the integrity of Malawi tobacco.
It adds that any act aimed at cheating in the tobacco industry is punishable by law.
However, the development has irked farmers.
On Friday, farmers from several districts in the Southern Region converged at Limbe Auction Floors in Blantyre, where they expressed dismay at TC’s decision.
“We are not happy with the arrangement because it is new to us. All along, we were given back our rejected bales of tobacco but, now, they are saying they have withheld them.
They did not communicate this to us and we would like to have our tobacco back,” one of the farmers from Machinga, Edward Time, said.
Another farmer Kudedza Kumanda said they have given the commission until Tuesday (tomorrow) to give them their produce.
“If they will not give us our tobacco, we will take action. This is not on because tobacco farming is tedious work and one cannot just confiscate our products,” he said.
The farmers claimed that over 300 bales were confiscated.
However, TC spokesperson Telephorus Chigwenembe said their decision is backed by the law.
“According to the law, ‘where a person offers for sale, or has sold, on a tobacco floor nested tobacco, the commission shall confiscate the nested tobacco bales’ (Tobacco Industry Act (2024), 96 (8)).
“On the basis of the aforementioned provisions in the Act, this selling season, the Tobacco Commission has, indeed, confiscated all nested tobacco bales at the selling floors. The confiscated tobacco will be sent for rehandling, after which the crop will be sold under the Tobacco Commission,” Chigwenembe said.
“Proceeds of the sale of such tobacco will be in the custody of the regulator until the processing of relevant administrative penalties is concluded. All concerned growers will be informed of the outcome of the process accordingly,” he added.
The publicist further appealed to all growers to desist from all forms of cheating in the production and sale of tobacco to avoid inconveniences and to preserve the integrity of the crop.
Meanwhile, agriculture policy expert Leonard Chimwaza has said the authorities should revisit the new regulations.
“Most players seem to have reservations on the new Act. Even some tobacco companies are not pleased with some provisions of the Act.
“It is high time the regulations are taken back to Parliament for further finetuning. These concerns indicate that somewhere the consultations were not comprehensive,” Chimwaza said.
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