By Mercy Kadzombe and Lawrence Develious Kaunda:
The Tobacco Commission has extended the 2025 tobacco marketing season for the second time in less than a month.
According to a statement issued on Friday, the commission will keep sales open at Lilongwe, Chinkhoma and Mzuzu Floors due to large volumes of unsold leaf.
The statement said the move is intended to give farmers more time to sell their crop.
“The extension is aimed at allowing all farmers to sell their tobacco. New closing dates will be announced in due course,” it reads.
The development comes days after The Atlas reported that farmers in Mchinji, particularly at Waliranji, were stranded with unsold bales because of booking bottlenecks.
Farmers under Associated Central African Limited, Hell and Cotton, Premium Tama and Alliance told Atlas they failed to access the market even during the first extension, leaving an estimated 500 bales unsold in Mchinji alone.
The Commission closed the sales last weekend.
Limbe Floors closed earlier on August 8.
So far, 209.8 million kilogrammes of tobacco have been sold raking about $525.4 million at an average price of $2.50 per kilogramme the highest volume recorded in 13 years.
