JTI dumps 200 farmers in Malawi for diverting farm inputs to tomato production

Written by Richard Kayenda

Mzuzu-(Marapost)–Japanese Tobacco International (JTI) has halted contracts with about 200 tobacco farmers in Dowa on the allegation that the farmers used farm inputs given by the company on tomato production, a development that led to low volumes of tobacco production.

According to JTI’s Director of Corporate Affairs and Communication, Limbani Kakhome, the farmers were abusing their farm inputs by using them on tomato production thereby producing low volumes of tobacco.

Kakhome further disclosed that some farmers defaulted their loans; and that this year alone, some clubs only managed to deliver 68 percent of the required volumes.

However, the affected farmers have expressed their dismay over the development saying, the company has to pay back their collateral it collected and compensate them since the termination of the contracts has come at a short notice and this will negatively affect their efforts.

One of the farmers, Henderson Nemani, who is a chairperson of Kafunthe Zone in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nkukula, asserted that the company should pay back the collateral it collected from the farmers and compensate them so that they can buy fertilizer and seeds on their own.

There are about 17 farmer clubs in Kafunthe Zone.

Maneno Chimulala

I am a journalist, educator, and activist with passion for telling stories about social justice, sports and political issues. I graduated from Mzuzu University. I started my career at the Maravi Post online publication in 2012 as an intern while in college. Upon graduating from Mzuzu University I was offered a job as Sports Reporter because of my background as a goalkeeper and rose to the position of sub editor. I also had a short stint with Nyasatimes, Malawi Punch and Malawi Digest. Over the past seven years, I have worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Malawi on human rights, girl child education and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in education, I also volunteer as male champion for girls’ education under Girls Empowerment Networks (GENET) in Malawi’s South West Education Division (SWED).