Zimbabwe’s prolonged political and economic crisis has prompted many of its white commercial farmers to seek a new future in neighbouring Malawi.
Zimbabwean farmers are reported to have secured employment and,
in some cases, part-ownership on the estates of the tobacco-growing districts of Kasungu, Mchinji and Lilongwe in the central region.
Business sources see the arrival of Zimbabweans as a gain for the country, arguing that it underpins this year’s boom in local tobacco production. Other sources complain that Malawians already face land shortages because of high population growth.
Tobacco is Malawi’s chief foreign exchange earner and accounts for more than 75% of national revenue. The industry faces the challenge of the anti-smoking lobby in the developed world, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.
Overproduction in some countries, high production costs and a shortage of suitable land are among the problems growers face.
The Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), the parastatal that oversees Malawi’s industry, has admitted the presence of farmers from Zimbabwe, but said the scale of their influx was hard to assess.
Said Godfrey Chapola, TCC general manager: ”It is difficult for the commission to assess the number of foreigners because when ownership of a farm changes, registration does not.” Once an estate is registered, registration particulars remain the same even after ownership is transferred.
Zimbabwe, once rated the world’s largest producer of flue-cured tobacco, has an ideal climate for the growing of the semi- and full-flavoured Virginia leaf. However, its output has dwindled rapidly because of upheavals in the farming sector.
The Malawi government initially rejected proposals to engage white commercial farmers to rejuvenate the tobacco industry, after reports that destitute Zimbabweans had been allowed to resettle in Zambia and Mozambique.
However, Malawi recently reviewed its land policy to give land rights to foreigners after intense criticism, mainly from the Asian community.