JTI Leaf Malawi has rewarded farmers who offered top quality tobacco in the just ended farming seasons, under the Mlimi Wozitsata Ayiphule Promotion.
Speaking during the prize presentation ceremony in Lilongwe on Thursday, JTI Leaf Malawi corporate affairs and communications director Limbani Kakhome said the company believes in incentivising its growers, as it has done for almost all the years that we have existed in Malawi
“Every year we award growers who have done well by offering us top quality tobacco and in quantities we agreed with them. The function today is in respect to that tradition. We are awarding our outstanding growers through our flagship Mlimi Wozitsata Ayiphule Promotion.
“Under this initiative, JTI as a company rewards its growers annually for delivering quality leaf in volumes that are agreed in the contracts between us and them. Last year, we rewarded our growers with motorcycles so we could ease mobility challenges the growers face when going to their fields. But every other year we always challenge ourselves to go bolder, bigger and better by introducing even bigger prizes.
“The aim of the promotion is meant to incentivize our growers to deliver their contracted volumes of tobacco, on time and within the excepted quality agreement. This largely is an appreciation of the good job that our growers are doing in honouring the contract between them and us,” he said
Kakhome said as the Chichewa adage says ‘nzako akakuti Konzu, nawenso umati konzu’, every year as part of the incentive programme, they also release funds to their growers to help them with much needed cashflow because tobacco farming is capital intensive.
“Every year growers deposit a sum of money as loan security to enter a contract with the company. This money is given back to the growers at a time when they need the cash most. We call this collateral release. For the 2025 CY, JTI allocated MK1,863,423,750 representing 98.27% of the total collateral which we gave out to the growers. All this is in addition to loans on maize inputs as well as providing them with the actual maize when hunger strikes,” said Kakhome
During the promotion, he said a total of 913 clubs met all criteria.
From these, 362 came from Lilongwe and southern region, 338 from the Kasungu region and 213 from the northern region.
About successful 700 farmers received with solar water pumps, motorcycles, and other equipment to support their farming.
One of the farmers, Amin Asidi from Mangochi hailed the initiative saying it encourages farmers to produce high quality tobacco and also meet the agreed quantity.
