Malawi saw a significant 40% rise in tobacco sales for the 2024 season, despite severe drought conditions, according to the Malawi Tobacco Commission (TC).
The increase in sales, reported on Saturday, is attributed to a 10% rise in tobacco volumes from April to August.
Malawi, a leading global producer of burley tobacco, saw revenue jump to $396.28 million, up from $283.76 million last year.
Sales volumes also grew to 133.1 million kilograms, up from 120.5 million kilograms in the previous season.
“This represents a substantial surge,” said the TC, highlighting the strong performance in both revenue and average price per kilogram.
The drought, exacerbated by El Nino, severely impacted other crops like maize, but the tobacco crop remained resilient.
The increase in sales is driven by a surge in global demand due to adverse weather affecting major tobacco-producing countries.
Limbani Kakhome, spokesperson for Japan Tobacco Leaf, noted that global demand remains high despite the challenges faced by Malawi’s agricultural sector.
