‘Stop growing tobacco’- buyers told

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AHL Officials

Malawi’s sole, tobacco and other commodity dealing company, AHL Group of Companies, has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to consider reversing decision of allowing tobacco multinationals to grow tobacco saying the policy is hurting ordinary tobacco farmers.

AHL Group of companies, General Manager Moses Yakobe was speaking at Nambuma in Lilongwe during the official launch of 2015 field meetings and best burley club award presentation ceremony.

AHL Officials
AHL officials banging heads at the ceremony.

Yakobe urged Government to work on barring the tobacco multinationals from owning big farms and grow tobacco.

“The question is what will smallholder farmers do if the business of growing tobacco is also being done by these companies,” Said Yakobe.

Speaking during the same function, President of Farmers Union of Malawi, Kapichila Banda, concured with Yakobe saying currently farmers are not making profit because the demand is being swallowed by the multinational tobacco companies who grow the green gold in large quantity.

“This is very dangerous to our smallholder farmers.” Said Banda.

At the  function, AHL Group of Company handed over K500,000 cheque to Kanthunkako Burley Club for emerging winner of this year’s competition on the Club of the Year award.

In her speech, Traditional Authority Kayembe thanked AHL Group for awarding the price to people of her area.

Kayembe urged the club to use the money for the intended purpose.

AHL Group has been buying tobacco for the past eighty years.

Some of the companies under AHL include; Agriculture Trading Company, Malawi Leaf Company Limited, AHL commodities Lilmited, AHL chemicals and Marketing, Steel Ltd and AHL commodities Exchange.

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16 Comments

  1. This z true,who allowed the buyers to grow their own tobacco?i think gvt need to reverse bad dicision bxoz it z hurting ordinary growers.

  2. Ma Company ogula fodya boma liwalese bcoz anthu akagulisa kuti ngati nawo akulima? Malawi govt shld do something about this issue

  3. Kkkkkk The issue here states that:These companies that buys tobacco like Limbeleaf,Alliance one,malawi leaf,premium,Jti should not grow tobacco.coz if they have their own enough tobacco,how can they buy tobacco from an ordinary farmer at a higher price.Iremember Bingu adawaletsapo.

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