Malawi: No Change On Tobacco Estimates

Source from:  The Chronicle Newspaper (Lilongwe) March 13, 2006  03/14/2006

Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) says the dry spell which has hit Kasungu, the largest tobacco growing district in the country, will not affect the leaf's estimates which stand at 156.5million kilograms, 13.1million kilograms more of last year's. TCC General Manager, Godfrey Chapola said in an interview recently the dry spell has not affected the whole district to adversely affect the estimates. "It's not the whole of Kasungu that is dry. It's only Chamama that has been affected. When coming up with these estimates, we visited the whole country because we base on what is in the field," said Chapola. But Chapola expressed hope that the figures might change with reports that rain has started falling in some of the areas hit by the dry spell. "I am glad to hear that rain has started falling in some of the affected areas. This might have an impact in the second assessment to be done in March," he said. TCC conducts three field assessments of the green gold every year to determine volume. Despite the global anti-smoking lobby, tobacco continues to be the country's major forex earner with more than 60% and 15% contribution on the GDP. Tobacco industry is the second largest employer after government. Enditem