Tobacco Association of Malawi Hail Courts for Stiff Sentences on Smugglers as Auction Floors Gear To Open April 11th

Source from:  The Maravi Post 03/21/2016

Tobacco Association of Malawi (Tama) has commended the judiciary for sending a warning to tobacco smugglers following the sentence of Hosten Andisen to four years in jail with hard labour after being found guilty of stealing 118 bales of tobacco.

The development comes just three weeks to go before this year's tobacco marketing season is expected to be officially opened.

This week The Mkukula First Grade Magistrate Ceilia Onsewa in the central district of Dowa sent to jail Andisen for diverting a full truck registration number NS 1736 with a white horse and red body that carried 118 tobacco bales worthy MK7 million from Mankhaka TAMA Depot in Kasungu which the police intercepted along the Kasungu-Lilongwe main road.

Following Andisen's jail sentence, Tama's Chief Executive Officer, Graham Kunimba expressed gratitude for the role judiciary demonstrated in rescuing affected tobacco farmers to their fate saying such acts of stealing from already straggling sector must be condemned in its strongest term.

Kunimba told The Maravi Post that his association has already compensated the affected farmers with cash amounting to MK6.5 million without necessarily awaiting the outcome of the case.

"Tama is very excited and thankful to the judiciary for the timely intervention in sending strong warning to tobacco smugglers. The stealing of tobacco from poor farmers must be condemned in its strongest terms. These farmers toil a lot in order to produce quality tobacco therefore for someone just come and reap from them, is unacceptable."

"Without waiting the outcome of the case, Tama had already compensated the affected farmers with MK6.5 million for them not to feel the pitch of the incident. This is the social cooperate responsibility of Tama to its members as insurance covers takes time to compensate victims. We are proud that we are the only association in the country doing such gesture which the rest must emulate."

"Therefore, we are urging unregistered farmers to come forthwith in order for them to enjoy such benefits when calamities strike. And it's in this regard that we are urging tobacco farmers need to be very careful with smugglers as we are approaching the marketing season", appeals Kunimba.

This year's tobacco marketing season comes against a 33 percent oversupply of the green gold according to the first round of Agricultural Production Estimates Survey (APES) which pegged the 2016 production at 211 million kilograms against the trade requirement of 158.1 million kg.

Currently, tobacco buyers are looking for 132 million kg of burley, 21 million kg of flue-cured and 4 million kg for dark-fired tobacco. Sadly, the marketing season comes amidst farmers' outcry over the Malawi Kwacha appreciation against major foreign currency especially the US Dollar which is now trading at MK717 from MK765 for the past three months in 2016.

Meanwhile, Tama has since announced that will start receiving tobacco bales in it's deports from March 28 in the central region and April 4 in the southern and northern regions in readiness of the selling season for the green gold. Enditem