Our Team
THE BOARD
At the highest level, the Commission is driven by a Board of Commissioners which provides guidance on strategic matters.
Let’s preserve the environment – TC CEO
The Tobacco Commission has reiterated the need for efforts to preserve the environment, especially in the context of tobacco farming and marketing in the country. Chief Executive Officer Dr Joseph Chidanti-Malunga made a fresh call on environmental preservation at a...
Board Chair for more tobacco, team work
The new Board Chairperson of the Tobacco Commission has urged staff to encourage small holder farmers to grow more tobacco because they are assured of a market. Addressing Lilongwe-based staff on Wednesday, Mr Michael Nyirenda said there were a lot of companies...
TC pledges continued Consultations on cost of production
The Tobacco Commission has assured tobacco growers in the country that the regulator will continue with consultations on the cost of the production of the leaf. Tobacco Commission Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joseph Chidanti-Malunga gave the assurance during a...
TC must be proud – Minister
Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Sam Kawale, M.P., has called on the Tobacco Commission to be proud of its work because of its contribution to the national economy. The minister said this on Friday when he met Management of the Commission at its head office in...
First Round of Crop Estimates Survey in progress
The tobacco industry in Malawi on Monday 16th January, 2023 embarked on 2023’s first round of crop estimates surveys. Coordinated by the Tobacco Commission, the exercise is expected to run for three weeks in tobacco growing areas across the country. Ten teams...
President Chakwera for compliance with global standards in tobacco
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has called for serious commitment to compliance with global requirements for the health of the country’s tobacco industry, saying all stakeholders have a role to play. President Chakwera made the call when he opened the 2022 tobacco...
New tobacco buyer enters Malawi market
Minister of Agriculture Honourable Lobin Lowe on Friday unveiled a new tobacco buying company, Protrade Group Limited. Protrade, which is wholly owned by Malawians, will participate in the auction side of the marketing during the selling season that starts later this...
TC plants 15,000 trees
TC Chief Executive Officer Dr Joseph Chidanti-Malunga has challenged communities in which the industry regulator has planted trees to assume the responsibility to ensure high survival rate. Speaking after planting trees in the area of Traditional Authority Kayembe in...
CEO shares secrets behind TC success story
Getting every TC staff to embrace a new mindset has been key in transforming the tobacco industry regulator's performance, Chief Executive Officer Dr Joseph Chidanti-Malunga has revealed. Dr Joseph Chidanti-Malunga says since he occupied the office of Chief Executive...
2022 tree planting exercise
Saturday, 12th March, 2022, we will be planting trees in the southern, central and northern regions of the country. The tree planting exercise is part of our environmental conservation efforts. Through the exercise, we also hope to encourage growers to produce tobacco...
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Our Executive Management comprises the following:
Chief Executive Officer
Mr George Chinkhandwe
Director of Technical Services
Mr Evans Chilumpha
Director of Human Resources & Administration/Acting Chief Executive Officer
Mr Chimwemwe Luhanga
Director of Finance
Brief History Of Tobacco Farming In Malawi
Tobacco was introduced in Malawi (then Nyasaland) in 1889 by David Buchanan. The first export was made in 1893 where tobacco weighing 40 pounds was sold at an auction in London. Six years later, 2,240 pounds of tobacco was exported. Notable growers then were Messrs Hynde and Stark among others (1899).
From 1906 to 1925, the industry expanded rapidly with the coming in of A.F Barron, Wallace and later Conforzi. The first two bought their respective estates in Zomba and later expanded their operations to the central region where they established farms at Mbabvi and Lingadzi. Here, they experimented with the tenancy system that helped to expand tobacco farming among natives.
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The rapid expansion led to over production and deteriorating quality of the leaf. Authorities and all stakeholders saw the need to establish laws to govern and regulate the industry. Discussions on the same started in 1924 and the first new law called Tobacco Ordinance was enacted in 1926.
The tobacco crisis of 1930s that saw overproduction of the crop and a sharp drop in prices prompted authorities to form the Tobacco Marketing Ordinance (1937) that succeeded the Tobacco Ordinance. Later, in 1938, the Tobacco Control Board was formed and was followed by Auction Nyasaland Limited.