Africa-Press – Malawi. Despite Nyasa Tobacco Company director Fleetwood Haiya’s loud assurances of “rewarding prices” for growers—boasting purchases of up to $3.30 per kilogramme—the numbers tell a much grimmer tale for the average Malawian tobacco farmer. Far from basking in profit, many are drowning in disappointment, questioning whether corporate declarations are anything more than smoke and mirrors.
The latest figures from the Tobacco Commission (TC) reveal a 16.6 percent drop in the average tobacco price this year—from $2.67 per kg last year to just $2.28 by week three of the 2025 marketing season. This comes at a time when the cost of production has surged, tightening the noose around already-struggling farmers. How can a company claim to offer “rewarding prices” in a season where farmers are, by every reliable metric, being rewarded less?
To make matters worse, the volume of tobacco sold so far is also in freefall—just 14 million kilograms have been sold for $31.9 million. That’s a 40.6 percent drop from the same time last year, when 20.1 million kilograms fetched $53.7 million. If Nyasa is paying premium rates, then who exactly is benefiting from them? Certainly not the average grower.
Tobacco Association of Malawi Trust president Abiel Kalima Banda didn’t mince words, warning that current figures “do not give hope to the farmers” and that profitability is under serious threat due to high input costs and low sales prices. The numbers aren’t just bad—they’re devastating for farmers who bet their entire season’s livelihood on a crop that is supposed to be the nation’s economic lifeline.
So when Fleetwood Haiya says, “We are committed to ensuring that quality is rewarded accordingly,” farmers are right to ask: Where is the reward? Many report being paid far below $3.30/kg—some as low as $1.20/kg—while also facing inconsistent grading, exploitative contracts, and delayed payments. These “rewards” feel more like penalties.
And let’s not forget, tobacco isn’t just any crop. It’s Malawi’s main foreign exchange earner. For the 2025 season, demand was projected at 213 million kg. But if prices remain this poor and farmer morale keeps plummeting, that target will be a pipe dream—and the economic ripple effects could be catastrophic.
The real story is this: behind the shiny press statements lies a deepening crisis. Farmers, the backbone of the tobacco industry, are being short-changed while corporate players polish their image. Until companies like Nyasa start backing their words with broad, consistent, and fair pricing—not selective press-ready transactions—the promise of transformation will remain just that: a promise.
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