President Mutharika on campaign trail
By Vincent Khonje
Companies that buy tobacco will no longer be allowed to grow the cash crop from the next growing season, President Peter Mutharika said on Saturday.
Mutharika brought the good news to tobacco farmers on his whistle stop tour to the North.
Mutharika said he is always saddened to see that despite Kasungu farmers growing the top foreign exchange earner, they still swim in poverty because of poor prices tobacco buyers give.
“Tobbacoo buying companies will not be allowed to grow tobacco because they are stealing from the farmers. They grow their own tobacco and buy just a little from us.
“They even go to the extent of rejecting some. They will not grow the tobacco so that they are forced to buy from farmers. This will start from this year,” said Mutharika.
Mutharika also assured the people of continued development in Kasungu if they vote for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
“I am asking you to vote for DPP as it is a development conscious party. In the last five years we have
brought Malata and cement subsidy programme, social cash transfer, farm input subsidy programme, community colleges, roads, hospitals and schools. We will continue this in the next five years,” he said.
Mutharika also promised community colleges for each constituency in the country.
The Malawi leader also ordered the installation of Simlemba as Traditional Authority, besides elevation of Sub TA Mnyanja who has been STA for a long time to full TA.
He instructed Local Government Ministry to start the promotion processes.
