IPS tobacco growers optimistic for a better marketing tobacco season
Local farmers cultivating tobacco under the Integrated Production System (IPS) with Alliance One Tobacco say they are optimistic of producing high quality tobacco during this farming season which will eventually be purchased with good prices once the official marketing season begins.
Speaking in random interviews, the contracted tobacco growers’ majority of them from Kasungu and Dowa say they are hoping that they will sell their tobacco with good prices to Alliance One Tobacco which was also the case during the last marketing season, where most of them made a lot of profits.
One of the contracted farmers Backford Kadzakumanja who hails from Mbulanda village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Wimbe in Kasungu, says he is hopeful that during the fourth coming marketing season he will sell his tobacco with better prices since his crop is of good quality.
Kadzakumanaja explained he has so followed all the recommended principles of producing the crop under contract arrangements such as proper application of chemicals as well as planting the recommended tobacco varieties and certified seeds.
“I’m very hopeful that this year too my tobacco will fetch better prices as you can see that its of high quality hence I’m so optimistic of generating enough income befitting my current production just like last farming season”, said Kadzakumanja.
According to Kadzakumanja, during the last marketing season he made a profit of K9 million after selling his burley tobacco to Alliance One Tobacco which he cultivated from his two hectare garden some of which he used to purchase a one tonner Toyota pick-up.
He further explained that since he joined the contract farming some 14 years ago, his family has become food secure as every farming season, the company gives him hybrid maize seeds and fertilizer to cultivate maize in addition to other inputs which he uses for his tobacco production.
“Cultivating tobacco under contract farming system is so beneficial considering that we are encouraged and supported to do crop diversification mechanisms. For instance we are given fertilizer and maize seed to grow, hence our families have in the process become food secure,” he said.
Kadzakumanja also disclosed that from his 14 years of cultivating tobacco under IPS arrangement, he has so far managed to pay school fees for his six children at both secondary and tertiary education levels, managed to construct two houses roofed with corrugated iron sheets, procure cattle and goats as well as purchasing four vehicles.
Collaborating with Kadzakumanja, 60 year old Lammeck Ammon from Ntanila village, Traditional Authority (TA) Chakhaza in Dowa also expressed optimism of realizing more profits this year just as he did during the last farming season where he made a profit of around K34 million after selling both burley and flue-cured tobacco cultivated at his four hectare garden.
According to Amon, since joining contract farming system with Alliance One he has so far managed to construct two commercial houses at Madisi Trading Center and he also managed to purchase two three tonner vehicles which he uses for other business ventures.
He explained that with the support of farming inputs from Alliance One Tobacco, last year he managed to harvest about 300 bags of maize weighing 50 kilograms each, a development he said has improved food security at his household.
“As far as I’m concerned I will continue cultivating tobacco under contracting farming because under this arrangement most farmers including myself are generating more profits unlike doing the same but under non contract arrangement”, Amon explained.
He disclosed that he also managed to get over K700, 000 after selling 25 bags of groundnuts to Pyxus Agriculture Limited which is a sister company to Alliance One Tobacco, a development he said has encouraged him to grow more groundnuts this year. The 61 year old farmer said he has so far increased the size of his tobacco field from four to five hectares this farming season.
Forty year old Margret Chikazima of Chiwengo village, Traditional Authority (TA) Chilowamatambe in Kasungu also disclosed that she is hoping to get more profits this farming season comparing to last year. According to Chikazima, last year she didn’t generate enough proceeds from her tobacco farming as the crop was affected by a disease called wild-bushfire and as a result she only got a profit of about K2 million.
“I’m confident that this time around I will realize more profits than last year because my tobacco looks promising unlike last season when a huge part of my tobacco field was attacked by some diseases a development which negatively affected both its quality and quantity”, said Chikazima.
In his remarks Alliance One Tobacco (Malawi) Corporate Affairs Officer Ben Kawonga said his company is ready to fulfill all the contractual farming obligations it agreed with its contracted tobacco growers across the country as long as they too follow all the necessary requirements needed when producing tobacco under IPS.
“We usually encourage our contracted tobacco farmers to follow all the seven recommended principles under the Agriculture Labour Principles (ALP) as well as well as the Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) which among others completely prohibit the use of child labour and forced labour in any tobacco production”, said Kawonga.
So far, over Nine thousand tobacco growers have agreed to cultivate the crop under contract arrangements with Alliance One Tobacco during this farming season.
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