Malawi Farmers angered with Kwacha appreciation

Mar 16, 2016 Business 91
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Alfred Kapichira Banda

Farmers Union in Malawi (FUM) has expressed concern over the appreciation of the local currency against major currencies.

According to FUM, the appreciation is an embarrassment to local farmers who grow the country’s main export tobacco.

Alfred Kapichira Banda
Kapichira Banda: We are worried.

FUM president Alfred Kapichira Banda called upon government to consider protecting tobacco farmers in the country arguing that the trend will demotivate tobacco growers.

“When farmers started this agriculture season, kwacha was around K750 per American dollar, this means that farmers had to dig deep in the pockets to insure they have everything needed at hand, now we going towards a period of selling tobacco and Kwacha is now at K690 against one dollar.

“This means that we will be making a loss of close to one hundred kwacha per kilogram and if this country is to produce 2 million kilograms it means our farmers have lost a lot of millions,” said Banda.

Banda further urged government to consider approving tobacco prices that are fair to green gold farmers in the country.

“We feel that we are not respected. Prices are set with not us, we just get it on the media that we are to sell our tobacco at this price, I think it is high time that farmers are now to sit down together and have a minimum price together,” added Banda.

Malawi relies heavily on tobacco production and sales to support its economy. Experts believe this reliance contributes to Malawi’s vulnerable economic position on the global level.

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91 Comments

  2. But we know that this change is only during this tobacco sales season. The problem is that these farmers will be making less money and so they don’t really get what they deserve. It’s the tobacco buyers economical trick done deliberately to rob these farmers not an indication that we are starting to get better as a nation. It’s really sad if you understand the tricky game behind it

  3. But we know that this change is only during this tobacco sales season. The problem is that these farmers will be making less money and so they don’t really get what they deserve. It’s the tobacco buyers economical trick done deliberately to rob these farmers not an indication that we are starting to get better as a nation. It’s really sad if you understand the tricky game behind it

  6. Tobacco season comes once a yr..bt lyf 4v ordinaly pple aswel as tobacco farmers nid 2 buy basic nids evrydy at beta price..ts a mata of undrstanding wat is of greatest value and shall hv longterm effects..as for the politicians,,ts noise all ovr..try the former,we shall continue 2 struggle..

  8. let us wait and see but what my experince reminds me is that soon after tobacco sales our kwacha will nosedive!!!!!! kwali tivionerenge lumoza malawi ngwithu tose let’s pray for our nation amen

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  14. Inu amene simuli alimi a fodya u can’t understand what’s happening here coz u r telling us that u r happy seeing kwacha appreciating with a hope that prices will go down.But u 4get that the current economic crisis will persist despite the the current appreciation coz soon after the tobacco sales kwacha will depreciate again.The price of commodities will b even higher than t is.Ts when u will understand why FUM is not happy with this useless appreciation of my native currency against Illuminati currency called Dollar.

  16. Ngati ndi munthu amene amapangitsa kwacha izikula mphamvu nthawi yoti alimi agulitse fodya kumsika ,galu bwake ifenso choyendela chimene amayendela iyeyo ifenso timachifuna chimodzi-modzi pogona,chakudya,business etc ndiye ife tisakhale antchito aboma ayi

  17. hahahaha apa ndi pa nyasadi… but i undrstnd wat farmers are talking about. however, govrnment should b recomnded 4 makng our currency gain powr

  20. Very pity to have leaders who cant reason on what they are saying. We just call it banana republic cos the direction is lost atleast by everyone who is involved in that stupid goverment

  21. Pena muzionako zowuza anthufe. Zopusazi nzomwe wina aliyense akudana nazo. Zaka zonse Boma laMalawi yanu imakonda kubera alimi. Chonsecho zipangizo za ulimi mumadulitsa. Zautsiru zanuzi ife tatopa nanu tsopano. Kwacha imakwera mphamvu pogula Fodya pokha,season yafodya ikatha izikhala yopanda mphamvuno? Amene muzitcha akulu akulu aFUM nu munayamba mwalimapo Inu? NONSENSE and very ASHAMEFUL zopusa

  22. When kwacha was depreciating people were complaining and now it’s appreciating some people are complaining, freaks

  24. It’s good news for the kwacha to appreciate and it should go beyond the tobacco selling season not only during the selling season.

  25. Bodza limenelo,kwacha imakwera pamene alimi afodya ayamba kugulitsa ndi cholinga chofuna kuwabera alimiwo akatha fodya kwacha itsikaso.poonjezera apo ngangakhale kwachs ikwere koma katundu satsika mtengo, boma lopondereza alimi ili basi.

  26. Kapena tinene kuti azungu apanga ndalama yathu kukhala yamphavu ndicholinga chofuna kutibela fodya? Pajatu azunguwa akamayamba kugula fodya amagula pa mtengo wokwela kenako amveke ndalama yayamba kutenga mphavu. Mawa lake amasisa mtengo ogulila fodya ndicholinga chowabela alimi.

  30. Ndiumbuli wangawu ndi maona kwacha imakwera mphamvu mnthawi ya fodya yokha kungotseka msika wa fodya yagwaso,kkkkkk nde tingati oyendetsa boma ndi mlimi mwina ophunzira?osanyoza mlimi pelekani mitengo yabwino kuzipangizo zaulimi ndi kagulidwe ka mbewu zake osamubela kamba kamaphunziro anu omwe amalephera kukweza kwacha paokha koma kudalira mlimi.

  32. Why is it that it is only when the tobacco market is about to open that the Kwacha starts appreciating the dollar? I gues its time for the farmers to cry foul.!!! We are indeed still under colonization

  35. Now the problem is you Malawian farmers. Why are u still clinging to growing tobacco?? Should you continue relying on tobacco these days?? Yet it demands huge investiment on inputs, alot of resources on output, but very less outcome. Think about what is required throughout the growing of this crop, but when you take it to the market, the buyers will be the ones determining the price, they tell you that it is of low quality, they will tell you so many excuses and finally they reject it. When the currency appreciates, you complain, and even the WHO is denouncing the smoking of tobacco. Some countries have enacted laws to ban puffing this stuff in public. But you Malawians are still clinging to it. I mean, doesnt Malawi have any other crops that can be grown for export apart from this tobacco thing of yours?? Arent leguminous crops more effective than tobacco? Think about it Malawians and open your eyes. If not, continue crying.

    1. mind u its not just the farmers relying on tobacco even our national economy does….so lets not heap the blame on farmers

  38. Kwacha imakhala ndi mphamvu pogula fodya pokha akangomaliza imakhala yopanda mphamvu of which its not fair to the farmers!you guvernment take time on that!

  39. Ndimachokera dera lina la kumpoto kwa Malawi komwe Fodya amalimidwa kwambiri koma kwazaka alimi akuderali akhala akulima nkugulisa Fodya chaka chilichonse koma miyoyo yawo ilipamodzimodzi zomwe zikuwonesa phindu lawo silikufanana ndi mphamvu zawo zomwe amalowesa paulimiwi komanso mu Fodya opindula ndi ogulawo osati mulimu ndeno boma lipangepo kanthu pliz

  40. This is daylight robbery! Had it been I was the president I would fix the exchange rate during this crucial time for farmers. It would be 1$ = K800. Alimi tingosiya kulima fodya

  42. It seems we malawians dont know what we want as regards to economic resurrection; when majority critisises govt over continued kwacha depreciation including hon jumbe, the same majority is criticising govt for the kwacha appreciation including the same hon jumbe! Kkkkkkk malawians thats why we will continue being ruled by the so called “development partners” #neo_colonialism

    1. Inu mukuoneka ozindikila but u r missing the point here.Mlimi akulira but t seems lyk u r celebrating the loss farmers r about to make.Mulibe chisoni ndithu.

    4. Kkkkkkk am not worried neither surprised because kutukwana ndiye kudya kwa a malawife but can you enlighten me coz “shitting” or “fucking” me means you are running away from my argument inuyo poti ndinu alimi tell me shud the market forces wait for the tobacco market to end then kwacha appreciates? Or is this appreciation of kwacha articially made or is dependendent on market forces on the ground? Kkkkkkkkkkkk aliminu musamathamangire kutukwana hey when will u grow up?

    5. Am not celebrating the so called loss the farmers will make though making losses is inevitable but my point is what do we malawians and alimi inu want: depreciation of kwacha or its appreciation? Why did kwacha lose value the time you farmers were buying fertilizers? And why has it appreciated now that tobacco markets are soon to be opened nationwide? Is there somebody behind this, i mean do you think its subbotage? Pliz guide me not with “shit” or “fuck” or what your brain can tell your fingers to type over my comment

  47. Actually it is a good move by govt to let the local currency to gain more value coz it means better living conditions to everyone and not only the tobacco farmers. I believe with kwacha gaining more value prices of basic human needs on market will be reduced. What is of importance for kwacha to continue depriciating and the tobacco price @AHL seem to be good but only to see the same farmer who cashed out on good market price goes back to shops for farm inputs only to find the prices are higher due to the kwacha depreciation which only favoured the tobacco farmer at market? I personally believe the govt move to let kwacha gain value is a positive sign for better days ahead. Who knows may be we might see kwacha trading vs dollar at k400 sooner than we expected. Bravo MW govt

    2. That’s why I said its my personal opinion. So now I guess mr Herbert Maonga you out of the line. If you have better ideas just contribute rather than thinking you are too smart.

    4. BULLSHIT bra anthu adagula zipangizo zaulimi p.a. mitengo okwera now it’s their time kuti ndalama zawo zibwelele ati tikugulani pa K2 kg, ngakhale iwe sizzingakusangalatse, kwacha supposed to appreciate nthawi imene alimi amagula zipangizo zaulimi

    1. What they need is to be fair always because on time of farming or before planting kwach always depreciates and farm inputs price become high and high which will cause no profit on the time like this how they cry.

    2. You buy fertilizer plus labour on the cost of 1million during depreciation time and you sold K750 thousand today who is the thief?and the price of commidities remains the same thats so funny,yes we dont how kwacha and dollar works but this system farmers will remain poor as so to malawi why just remain costant.

    3. You buy fertilizer plus labour on the cost of 1million during depreciation time and you sold K750 thousand today who is the thief?and the price of commidities remains the same thats so funny,yes we dont how kwacha and dollar works but this system farmers will remain poor as so to malawi why just remain costant.

    4. You have point,the government is there to help the poor so that the poor also can be rich,but in Africa that’s not the case.am in zambia now and zambia is known to be a food basket in the southern region but right now we have a shortage of breakfast in lusaka and this one I blame u pipo from Malawi, Zimbabwe, south Africa and Congo for smuggling

  50. Vuto lina ndilakuti timalima mmakwacha kma mbeu zathu tikakolora timagulitsa ma USD.Pamenepa sipalibwino.Everything must be done in one currency 2 ensure transparency.

  51. Komano anthu amenewa ali ndichisoni MUNTHU ovutika kale ndikumamuzungulilaso kum’bera pali umunthu APA . mulimi sanzasangalalanso mpaka kale

  55. kubera alimi basi,alimi tonse tiyeni timatche,bwanji samaipreciater nthawi yonseyi.timawalekerera ndiye anazoloweta kuti alimi a ku malawi ndi opusa.

  56. Mlimi amalanda ndalama zochepa mmalo molandira zambili poti ati kwacha yakwera, yet zinthu sizisikaso mitengoyi, and immediately after selling the tobbacco, kwacha imayamba kukwera, zinthu zimakweraso

  58. voto ndiloti nthawi yolima kwacha yimagwa tima gula mbewu mokwera nthawi yogulisa kwacha yima bwere lamo tima gulisa mbewu zathu mosika mutengo.

  59. The problem is that we don’t have leaders who have a welfare of farmers at heart. And u shud expect kwacha to appreciate more when AHL opens ts doors.

    1. I think sitili limodzi kma.Mlimi walowetsa ndalama zambiri pa ulimi kamba koti zipangizo za ulimi zakwera mtengo kamba ka kutsika mphavu kwa ndalama ya kwacha,pano nthawi yogulitsa yafikwa akuti kwacha ija yayamba ukhala ndi mphavu.Yazitenga kuti mphavu ngati tayamba kale kugulitsa mbeuzo? Be wise!!!!

    2. Kod iwe sumazisata et?ndi move yaazungu imeneyi,akufuna atigule fodya wanthu pamtengo wotcipa.sukuziwa kut anthuwa amapanga dala kuyipanga control kwacha yanthu kut azitizuza?i like mugabe,samawanyengelera.

  64. Mumasankha nokha ma boma onyasangati awa. Akamati Goodall ndi tate amatanthauza kubera alimi basi. Musovatu alimi. Kungosiya kubyala fodyayo basi

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