LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-AHL Group Tobacco Sales has dismissed claims made by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka that the company has punished central region tobacco growers by classifying and destroy over 4000 tobacco bales.
Mkaka made the claim in his Facebook post and described the move by AHL as a step in pushing central region growers away from the market.
According to Mkaka, AHL Group classified over 4000 tobacco bales as RG without consulting the farmers and went ahead destroyed them.
Commenting on the matter, through a press statement made available to The Maravi Post signed byTeresa Temweka Ndanga, AHL’s Public Relations Manager dismissed the company involvement in the matter classifying tobacco as the task is done by regulator as stipulated in section 84 of the Tobacco Industry Act.
Ndanga said the company has all necessary steps in classifying tobacco were followed and farmers were informed in all four tobacco floors; Limbe, Mzuzu, Chinkhoma and Lilongwe before their bales were destroyed.
AHL Tobacco Sales has also engaged the MCP lawmaker in an attempt to help him understand the laws governing the tobacco industry.
Destroyed Tobacco Bales to be investigated.
* It is my hope that Farmers are trained how to produce the best tobacco, thus they should be able to how bad their produce was before destroyed.
* EEverything is done in the absence of Farmers, it is hard to believe The AHL is true or not.
* I shall always believe in proper proof of any assumptions; I mean just a word of the mouth is not enough to challenge Mr Mkaka. Neither shall the Law Sections displayed be enough either.
I see misplacement of The Law in this case.
Any Law oppressing Farmers is undemocratic.