Malawi’s tobacco industry can still count on a bright future as Tobacco Commission (TC) c.e.o., Dr. Joseph Chidanti Malunga, says the industry remains vibrant and continues to be the most reliable contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Speaking during a meeting with Media Network on Tobacco (MNT) journalists, Malunga said there are those who are disseminating “organized misinformation aimed at frustrating the ever-growing tobacco industry in the country,” but assured farmers that they should expect better production and higher prices for future seasons.
Driving his point home, Malunga said, “The truth of the matter is that not any other crop in Malawi can replace tobacco now or even in the very distant future,” also saying that those advocating for the replacement of tobacco have an “evil agenda” and merely want to mislead people.
Malunga identified what needs to be done to achieve that bright future for tobacco. "Of course, we agree that rules in the tobacco industry have now changed. We now must do more of what our customers need such as making sure that our tobacco is not produced through child labor. It has to be clean tobacco. But whatever happens to tobacco should not be the justification to diversify to replace the crop," he said.