Malawi’s Agriculture Minister is lobbying against a potential ban on growing tobacco, Malawi24 reported.

Despite increasing international pressure against farming tobacco, Malawi’s Agriculture Minister, Kondwani Nankhumwa, is lobbying for permission for Malawi to continue growing the crop. Malawi has formed a forum with Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, countries whose economies also rely heavily on tobacco production.
According to Malawi24, the forum plans to lobby other countries not to place a blanket ban on growing tobacco at the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which will take place in the Netherlands next year. Nankhumwa was quoted as saying, “before that meeting, we need to meet to come up with our position because what we are saying is, we should be allowed to continue growing tobacco.”
Malawi will continue to warn its citizens of the dangers of smoking and believes that those that do smoke should be able to make that choice themselves, according to Malawi24.
There are also concerns that the banning of tobacco growth will set a precedent on the banning of other crops that are also considered to be damaging to health. Tobacco growth is a major source of revenue for Malawi and a ban on tobacco farming would have a negative effect on the countries economy.