Bingu to Meet Tobacco Buyers

Source from:  Malawi Daily Times 04/09/2009

President Bingu wa Mutharika has indicated he would soon summon tobacco buyers over the disappointing tobacco prices at the auction floors. But the buyers have defended themselves, saying the leaf on the floors is of low quality and does not deserve Mutharika's minimum price of US$2.15 for burley and US$3.09 for flue cured. Mutharika had earlier given the buyers until April 15 to change the prices for the better or face deportation. Speaking on Monday during a whistle-stop tour from Mzuzu to Lilongwe, Mutharika said he was tired of the buyer's exploitative tendencies and he was running out of patience. "They are thieves. They are stealing from us but don't worry, I am fighting the war for you," Mutharika said at Jenda after launching the DPP campaign for the Northern Region in Mzuzu the previous day. He repeated his earlier stance that if they do not improve the leaf prices following the discussions that he would facilitate, then he would chase them out of the country. Last week, tobacco was selling at a minimum price of US$0.90 and buyers have been returning bales sold at more than US$2. But the tobacco buyers claim that the amount of rejected tobacco is high because some of the bales were being brought back to the floors without correcting mistakes. It has been discovered that most of the bales currently on the floors are from intermediate buyers who bought from farmers in a rush to sell while the leaf was still wet or ungraded. Mutharika is expected to conduct whistle-stop tours around Lilongwe City before launching the Central Region campaign Wednesday. Enditem