JTI Lilongwe warehouse opened by Malawi President

Malawi’s President, Professor Peter Mutharika, yesterday opened a new Japan Tobacco International warehouse at its site in Lilongwe, where the company has also carried out substantial upgrades to its tobacco processing line, according to a story in the Nyasa Times.

The investments are said to have been worth more than K5 billion.

“This is a great day, not only for JTI, but for the tobacco industry and indeed for Malawi since this investment offers hope to us all that tobacco will still be grown in this country for several years to come,” the President said at the opening ceremony.

Mutharika went on to say that the government of Malawi was committed to passing a new law that would support the sustainable production and sale of tobacco, and thereby protect the livelihoods of the country’s smallholder growers.

JTI’s senior vice president, Paul Neumann, said JTI would continue working towards harnessing Malawi’s potential as a leading producer of Burley, and the company’s head of business in Malawi, Fries Vanneste, said that JTI’s approach would improve the profitability of growers and the stability of the Malawian tobacco market.

“We provide support not only to individual growers, but also invest in entire communities to improve access to water, healthcare, and better education,” Vanneste said.

JTI Malawi employs more than 1,300 people and works directly with more than 11,000 growers.