Nyasa Manufacturing Company Limited in Malawi is seeking to add more value to the country’s tobacco crop, known as the “green gold”, by launching a cigarette manufacturing business in two months’ time. Nyasa Manufacturing Company Limited (NCM) has already invested US$1.2 million in the venture and is ready to start production by mid-August this year.
According to Konrad Buckle, the managing director of NCM, the machinery needed to produce 2,500 cigarettes per minute has already been installed, having been purchased from China. However, the company’s full establishment has been delayed due to a shortage of foreign exchange in the country.
Despite this setback, NCM has identified a strong demand for its products in neighboring countries like Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. Buckle has confirmed that the company will initially create 50 jobs, and that Chinese technicians will be engaged to train local employees during the first six months of operation.
