Malawi cannabis: Farmers' high hopes fail to materialise
As part of its vision for how the country could benefit from cannabis, the government wanted to involve as many small-scale farmers as possible
BBC News (UK)
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Malawian farmer Ethel Chilembwe has paid out hundreds of dollars, cleared six hectares of land and got ready for the training, but after two years of waiting she has not cultivated a single cannabis plant. Malawi legalised cannabis farming for industrial and medicinal use in February 2020 hoping to take advantage of the booming global demand and move away from the reliance on tobacco as an export crop. Ms Chilembwe, who has been farming tobacco in Kasungu in the west of the country for the last seven years, also scented an opportunity to replace her shrinking returns. She was not the only one - hundreds of other farmers have also been left disappointed.
