By Vincent Gunde
There are growing concerns from tobacco growers that bales of tobacco have not been sold at the Auction Floors and other bales are stacked in district warehouse depots waiting to be transported to the Auction Floors.
A video clip which is circulating in various media platforms in the country is showing Chitipa depot stocking uncounted bales of tobacco outside the warehouse meaning that the warehouse located inside is full and has run out of space.
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In the video clip, a narrator is complaining that on Tuesday 16th September, 2025 the country will be holding the much-anticipated general elections, there is uncertainty of what tobacco growers will do with their tobacco arguing that all Auction Floors were closed.
Following tobacco growers concern, government through the Ministry of Agriculture has released a statement dated 13th September, 2025 signed by Secretary for Agriculture Dickxie Verson Kampani for tobacco growers to take not.
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In the statement, government says it has put in place arrangements to purchase remaining tobacco produced during the 2024/25 growing season that the purchase of the tobacco, will be done through the Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM).
The government has assured all tobacco growers that it remains committed to providing reliable and sustainable market for their crop – tobacco continues to be Malawi’s leading export commodity saying SFFRFM has already commenced this operation and is active on the Auction Floors.
“The government reassures the entire tobacco-growing community of its full support and affirms that it will provide all necessary resources to the SFFRFM to complete this purchasing initiative successfully,” reads part of the statement.
A tobacco grower Mr. Sandulizeni Chafota of Mngwangwa in Lilongwe, has accused MCP led government of continuing to lie to Malawians with only a day before the general elections that it is committed to provide reliable markets for tobacco farming.
Chafota has argued that it has never happened that SFFRFM turning into an Auction Floor for purchasing tobacco from growers saying if indeed it will be purchasing tobacco, the prices will be very low as compared to that offered at the Auction Floors.
He has asked government to make one last message to tobacco growers before 16th September, elections so that tobacco growers know what to do with their tobacco other than giving them hope for no hope at all.
