Malawi: Farmers Want Limbe Leaf Out

Source from:  The Chronicle Newspaper (Lilongwe) September 5, 2006 09/06/2006

Kasungu farmers say are in full support of the warning President Bingu wa Mutharika made to some tobacco buyers that they risk an expulsion if they continue exploiting farmers by offering them lower tobacco prices and demand that Limbe Leaf Company must go because it is the main culprit. The farmers who stormed The Chronicle offices claim that Limbe Leaf Company, which together with Alliance One are supporting Smallholder Flue Cured Tobacco Farmers in the district was offering them very unfair prices. "Some of us who were dealing with Limbe Leaf Company had our flue cured tobacco sold at US$0.80 cents while our friends who were dealing with Alliance One were offered US$3.00 a kilogram for the same quality, type and quantity of tobacco," said one farmer. Another farmer said Limbe Leaf is exploiting farmers and claimed that they believe the company is deliberately offering them lower prices than other buyers to recover money that some of its employees stole. Limbe Leaf Company started ducking and diving when The Chronicle sought its comments on the farmers' grievances and allegations. The management referred Chief Lukwa of Kasungu to The Chronicle to answer on its behalf, but when told what the issues were to do with tobacco prices Chief Lukwa said then the matter was supposed to be clarified by Limbe Leaf Management. Limbe Leaf Managing Director Charles Graham told the media recently that he was no longer taking calls from the media. Alliance One Managing Director A.D Craik told The Chronicle in an interview that it was not true that they offered their farmers in Kasungu prices as high as US$3.00. "It's not true that we buy our tobacco at that price. The highest Alliance One has bought tobacco from farmers so far is US$2.70 and it is one of the best quality which is not something that happens regularly," he said. Limbe Leaf Company, which is a leading tobacco buyers, some weeks ago pulled out from Kabwafu Smallholder Flue Tobacco Farmers Trust where farmers in Mzimba were benefiting from the company through technical and financial support since 2001. The move was reportedly made following Mutharika's scathing attacks to the tobacco buyers, Limbe Leaf Company in particular, which he accused of exploiting farmers. The Kabwafu Trust Chair Inkosi Mpherembe dismissed claims that Limbe Leaf has pulled out because of the President's speech. "Of course Limbe leaf communicated to us that they have pulled out.it is. a blow to us considering that they greatly assisted smallholder farmers to produce flue cured tobacco," Mpherembe told one of the dailies last week. Enditem