Auction Holdings Limited recently met with tobacco farmers to review the 2019 tobacco season, as the growers also outlined various issues that they are facing.

AHL Group Public Relations Manager, Tereza Ndanga, also took advantage of the platform to advise the farmers to grow within the given quotas. On the other hand, Ndanga urged the farmers to take advantage of the AHL 252 mobile platform. the platform will have assorted information from transaction notifications, tobacco sales quota and many more. Previously, tobacco farmers were going to AHL offices to check for such data; the platform hence serves as easier and faster means of information access.

“We are living in a technologically advanced era and farmers should not be left behind,” Ndanga said. From reaping $336 million last year, this year’s tobacco market season posted total sales of $237 million at an average price of $1.43 this year, representing a profit drop of almost 30%.

However, Tobacco Commission (TC) Chief Executive Officer, Kaisi Sadala, was positive about the future of the tobacco industry. “This is why the Government through the TC advocates crop size management by ensuring that we align supply to demand in addition, the industry is repositioning itself to be compliant to global dynamics so that our crop remains competitive,” Sadala said.