TOBACCO SELLS TO CLOSE IN AUGUST

This year’s tobacco auctioning season is expected to finish by August.
This means that the market which has been active for thirteen weeks, has at least five week before its total closure.

Speaking in an interview, Tobacco Control Commission TCC’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Bruce Munthali said this year’s season will close in August, -later than last year’s July.

“So far almost half of the leaf has already passed through the auction flours and the remaining one will not go beyond two months.” Munthali said.

However, in an interview, Munthali has dismissed reports that the season has been projected to go beyond July because the market was very slow in the month of May when the country was holding tripartite elections.

“No that is not true, though the country had elections in May; Tobacco auctioning was not greatly affected.

“We only closed the market for two days to give chance for everyone to and after that the market progressed well.

The tobacco auctioning was officially opened by the then president Joyce Banda on March 15th, and after thirteen weeks of sales, the country has realized over 150 million USD from at least 100 million
kilograms of the leaf sold.