Mutharika Continues the Fight for Better Prices

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 03/21/2011

Malawi's President, Bingu wa Mutharika, on Tuesday alleged that cabinet ministers, principal secretaries and chief executive officers of public and private enterprises were silent on the poor prices being offered by tobacco buyers because they had contracts to sell their crops at higher prices, according to an MW Nation story. Opening this year's tobacco sales at the newly-constructed $4.8 million Chinkhoma Auction Floors in Kasungu, Mutharika said he was a lone soldier in a crusade for better prices. He asked buyers to have "a human heart" and share their profits with poor farmers. "I ask you my colleagues, ministers, principal secretaries and chief executives to utilise this market," he said. "You don't use the market because you sell your tobacco on contract. You have left the battle to me. I am a farmer but I don't grow tobacco, but you, who grow tobacco, don't sell here and I know this." Mutharika said he was fighting for the poor men and women who grew tobacco. "The tobacco here is of high quality and you can't pay $0.80 per kilogramme for that," he said. "That's theft." But at the same time he asked farmers to avoid adding non tobacco-related materials to their bales, saying this was giving buyers an excuse to pay low prices. He described some of the buyers as "thieves" who were always looking for an opportunity to pay less. Enditem