The 2023 tobacco selling season in Malawi is underway and with opening prices looking promising, farmers are optimistic for the rest of the season, reports the Africa Leader.

At the start of the tobacco season on 12 April, the crop sold for an average of USD 1.80 per kilo with the price going up to USD 1.88 a few days later, according to date from Auction Holdings Limited (AHL). This indicates a positive trend for the season and farmers have expressed their delight at the potential of a very good season ahead.
“I’m very excited with the prices, and going like this, I’m optimistic that I’ll make more gains than I’ve ever anticipated,” Ben Sakwi told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The President of the Tobacco Association of Malawi Trust, Abel Masache Kalima Banda said he hoped prices will go up to 2.3 to 3 dollars a kilo and compensate for the “significantly increased cost of production during the recent tobacco-growing season due to high inflation levels in the country,” reports the Africa Leader.
The Malawi Tobacco Commission expects 126 million kilos of tobacco to be sold this season, which is 48 per cent higher than the 85 million kilos produced last season.