LEAF NEWS Fields like this that are well suited to the production of burley have made Malawi the world’s major participant in the world burley export market.
MALAWI A new tobacco control law for Malawi growers
lenges during the signing of contracts for selling their tobacco,” said Mwanamvekha.
BLANTYRE —The
Malawian Parliament p a s s e d a Tob a c c o A c t i n e a r l y December that is expected to improve the status of growers in this poverty-stricken country Minister of Agriculture Joseph Mwanamvekha said the act will protect tobacco growers at the markets and also enable them to be informed of the price attached to the contracts they sign. Apparently this had been a problem with some buyers. The act also forbids the planting of tobacco by buyers, as well as preventing buyers from grading or transporting the crop. “I am excited that the tobacco control bill has passed, since our tobacco farmers have been facing chal-
ZIMBABWE Chinese company takes a Zimbabwean partner HARARE—The
Chinese tobacco company China Tobacco Shaanxi Industrial Corporation (CTSIC) has partnered with the Zimbabwean manufacturer Pacific Cigarette Company (PCC), formerly Savana Tobacco. CTSIC is a regional subsidiary of the Xi’an-based Chinese National Tobacco Company, and the deal represents the first and only cooperation agreement ever signed by a state-owned Chinese tobacco company and an African manufacturer. The first order of business for the partnership is to gear up production of a
24 TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2018
new line of cigarettes called Acacia Series. A blend of Zimbabwean tobacco and Chinese flavors, it will be targeted to the large Chinese community in Zimbabwe. If all goes well, it will eventually be marketed to a million or more Chinese nationals living in Africa. Acacia Fantasy, the first variant to be released, will be in the market soon and was launched in a ceremony at the PCC factory in Savanna on December 7. In welcoming remarks at the event, PCC Chairman Adam Molai said in a statement that the agreement had been 10 years in the making, and was a testament to the shared vision and entrepreneurial culture shared by the two companies. He also spoke of the opportunities in Zimbabwe and Africa that the Chinese had recognized and exhorted the guests to adopt a perspective of seeking oppor-
