Malawi tobacco crop threatened by flooding - industry official

Blantyre - Lethal floods in Malawi which have killed
at least 176 people have caused extensive damage to
tobacco, the country's leading hard currency earner,
a senior official said on Friday.
According to the World Bank, tobacco accounts for
around 60 percent of Malawi's exports, and the
floods come as the impoverished southern African
country struggles to woo back donors who have
withheld funds over governance concerns.
"We are still assessing how much damage has been
caused by the heavy rains on tobacco but I can
safely say that many fields have been washed away
and the impact on the economy is obvious because
tobacco is our main forex earner," Bruce Munthali,
the Tobacco Control Commission's chief executive,
told Reuters.
Also read: Floods devastate Malawi, food security
a concern
There are also worries about the staple maize crop
which feeds the nation. Last year, Malawi's farmers
harvested 3.9 million tonnes of maize, providing a
surplus of almost one million tonnes.
President Peter Mutharika was scheduled to make a
televised address at 1800 local time (1600 GMT)
about the situation.

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