Tobacco

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  • 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.tobacco large 2
  • 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.