Tobacco Farmers working under JTI Leaf Malawi have made a fresh call to government and members of parliament to reconsider amending Tobacco Act as parliament is set to meet in November.
The Farmers from Nsundwe expressed their concern following the Tobacco Act which has seen them not receiving fertilizer and Maize seed on loan as it restricts tobacco companies offering farm inputs for alternative crops such as maize.
According to Nsundwe farmers, over the years tobacco farmers have been getting farm inputs for crops such as maize on loan and this was helping them sustain their livelihoods as they were never worried about sourcing inputs on cash basis.
They said it was counter productive for government to be encouraging diversification while at the same time barring companies promoting alternative crops from supporting the growers.
Some of the farmers MIJ Online intracted with said, with the Act, Farmers are now forced to buy the Fertilizer and seeds on their own which is a challenge.
Speaking to MIJ Online, Shadreck Kabwinja, a Farmer, said things will not be easy this year as they will not be getting the Seeds and fertilizer from JTI due to the Act.
He said there is need to amend the law to look into this issue and also pricing issues.
