The 2020 Malawi tobacco market season has started in the capital Lilongwe on Monday despite risk from coronavirus.
Speaking on the sidelines of the official opening, Tobacco Commission (TC) Chief Executive Ofdicer, Kayisi Sadala said this year’s market will follow the government’s regulations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.
“We did not want to suspend our market for the product due to Covid-19 but rather restrict the number of people who enter the market to avoid the spread of the disease,”he said.
Other measures have also been put in place including basic hygiene regulations such as hand-washing and wearing compulsory face masks before entering the floors of the market, he said.
He said however that the market is expected to sell 161.4illion kilograms of the leaf, representing a decline from last year’s 161.6million.
Tobacco accounts for 60 percent of the country’s exchange earnings.
FT/as/APA