- Malawi grows three types of tobacco: these are Flue Cured Virginia, Burley and Fired Cured tobaccos.
- Burley tobacco is a high-quality tobacco that has a high nicotine content and is considered to have superior flavor to many other types of tobacco.
- Malawian tobacco is found in blends of nearly every cigarette smoked in industrialized nations including the popular and ubiquitous Camel and Marlboro brands. The country is one of the top 5 producers of burley tobacco in the world.
- Malawi relies heavily on tobacco production and sales to support its economy. Burley leaf from Malawi makes up 6.6 percent of the worlds tobacco exports and accounts for over 50% percent of Malawi's foreign earnings.
- Majority of the crop, burley, is produced by small scale farmers, whilst flue cured by commercial farmers.
- The crop is grown in the central plateaus of the country, and in small landholdings throughout the country. These smaller farms average about 2.5 acres, about a third of the size of small tobacco producing farms in the United States.
- Malawi has the capacity to produce over 100 million kilograms of tobacco. But the actual production quantities depend on the price of the preceding season.