President Mutharika's statement on tobacco

Malawi President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika. Below is Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika's statement to the Malawi nation. Pic by Malawi Digest.

PRESS STATEMENT

DEPORTATION OF SOME FOREIGNERS

MY FELLOW MALAWIANS

Tuesday, I ordered the deportation from our country of four foreign tobacco buyers, namely. Mr. Kevin Stainton and Mr. A.J Van der Merwe of Limbe Leaf Tobacco company; Mr. Colin Armstrong of Alliance One; and Mr. Alex Mackay of Premium Tama.

These individuals connived to deliberately frustrate the policy of this Government to improve the welfare of our people through better prices of tobacco. For along time they have continued to exploit the poor people of Malawi by offering them much lower prices than those offered in neighbouring countries.

In doing so, they have been sabotaging the Malawi economy and have been harming the very people who grow tobacco for them to buy.

MY FELLOW MALAWIANS

You will recall that at the beginning of the tobacco market season 2009, the Government had entered onto an agreement with the tobacco companies here in Malawi that barley tobacco will not be sold at prices lower than US$2.15 per kilogram.

Similarly, it had been agreed that Flue Cured tobacco would be sold at not less than US$3.09 per kilogram. These had not been fixed arbitrarily but through negotiations taking into account the cost of inputs and other considerations.

You will also recall that Government has declared tobacco to be a crop of “national strategic importance” to our economy. Therefore, any one sabotaging our economy is an enemy of the people of Malawi and does not deserve to be in this country.

But to the dismay of the small and poor black tobacco growers, these people have chosen to undermine Government by continuing to deliberately depress the prices tobacco.

They have also decided to make fun of me as your leader.

As if this is not enough harm, they have during this season, consistently rejected the good quality tobacco and instead had opted to buy poor quality tobacco with the aim to create a pretext for them to continue depress the tobacco prices so as to make huge profits at the expense of the poor.

This is contrary to their previous demands for improved quality of tobacco.

The low prices of our tobacco offered this year are totally unacceptable. In fact, is an act of hostility to our country that offered them hospitality and the opportunity to do their business here.

I am now warning all tobacco buyers that any company that seeks to cheat the people of Malawi and ignore the agreed prices of tobacco and any similar commodities will be dealt with accordingly.

I appeal to all Government departments, the Immigration, the Police and the general public, to cooperate with government to protect the poor black Malawi tobacco farmers from this unbridled exploitation.

Similarly I appeal to the judiciary to support Government in its effort to protect our people for continued exploitation.

GOD BLESS OUR MOTHERLAND-Malawi Digest.