Farmers in Malawi will this year produce less than last year's 220,000 tonnes of tobacco because of sporadic dry spells in tobacco growing areas, reports Reuters.

Bruce Munthali, chief executive officer for the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), said Malawi is expected to produce 218,000 tonnes of tobacco in 2011, down from an initial estimate of 232,000 tonnes and below last year's output.
"Prolonged dry spells in the central region … inadequate curing by most growers and poor application of fertilizers, are the main reasons for the low output this year," Munthali said.
President Bingu wa Mutharika opened the marketing season for the crop on Monday and appealed to the country's western buyers to offer better prices to growers this season.
Tobacco is Malawi's main foreign currency earner, accounting for more than 70 per cent of the country's exports and 15 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). (pi)