Earnings from tobacco sales so far this year have more than doubled to USD 361 million (EUR 272 million) as volume rose to 168 million kilograms from 79.8 million kg, the Nyasa Times reported.

Higher prices encouraged higher tobacco output and also helped stabilise the Malawian currency, the newspaper said in an online story dated 10 Sept. Tobacco accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country’s exports, and employs 2 million people in a nation of 14 million.