By John Saukira
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawian tobacco Farmers have express concern over poor prices which buyers are offering.
Speaking at Kanengo Floors in Lilongwe the farmers said they are worried with the current prices which are being offered.
Tobacco Farmers complained that Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) is stealing from them by deducting what they are not even supposed to deducts a claim which Tama rejected in an earlier interview.
Farmers on Wednesday visited AHL Tobacco Floors to appreciate themselves status of tobacco marketing.
Representative of the farmers Geoffry Gama of Tikhalenawo Club of TA Chimutu Lilongwe said they have been trying to ask about these deductions but nothing concrete has come out.
“We are told that keeping the bail is MK4,000 per bail and on top of that thwy deduct transport from the same bail we view this as a punitive Fonex Tsikulina From Mponela says there is high no sale or rejection this is affecting the tobacco business.
“We do not know why this is increasing” this is sad.
He said currently the prices are not good maximum price on barley is USD140 and minimum is 90 Cents.
Tsikulina said he fears that he want be able pay his workers.
Tama president Abiel Masache Kalima Banda told reporters that what farmers were claiming was not true.
Banda said the recommended deduction is only MK700.
He therefore asked any farmer deducted MK4000 to report to Tama offices.
But farmers have vowed to produce the sale sheets as evidence.
AHL Group Corporate Affairs Manager Tereza Ndanga said generally the company takes farmers around every week as one way of making them understand processes and reduce knowledge gap since knowledge is power.
“This helps them to understand what happens in the tobacco markets so that when they have problems they should know where to take them,” Ndanga said
Commenting on high rejection rate Ndanga described it as unfortunate because that will mean that farmers will have prolonged marketing season which is not good.
“Rejection has been high and it reached up to 78 % of, course has been reduced to somewhere 35% we are only relying on TCC to address these issues the same applies to tobacco prices,”
