The Tobacco Commission has disclosed it will, in the 2026/2027 farming season, limit crop production volumes to avoid oversupply.
Chief Executive Officer Mr Evans Chilumpha disclosed this in Lilongwe on Wednesday when the Commission appeared before the parliamentary committee on Industry, Trade and Tourism.
He told the committee setting the limits will align with trade requirements, thereby evading challenges that come with overproduction.
“We had tobacco over production in the 2024/2025 season, forcing buying companies to purchase more than their requirements,” said Chilumpha.
In the 2024/2025 farming season, trade requirement was 213 million kilogrammes but farmers produced, and buying companies bought, 221 million.
“With the forward buying, the companies ate into the volumes they could have bought this year and that has created problems for the industry this year.”
Mr Chilumpha told the committee this year’s projections point to another overproduction, necessitating regulatory intervention. Production for the 2025/2026 farming season is projected at 197 million kilogrammes while trade demand is 170 million kilogrammes.
This will not be the first time the Commission is implementing tobacco production control measures.
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