But despite its economic importance, a debate continues whether Malawi should be so dependent on one crop. Graham says the crop has the potential to generate 600 million dollars annually, if tobacco was grown across the entire country. Mhone says that paprika, used as a natural food colouring and spice, is easily processed and could be the best alternative. It's our only hope. His council has been urging farmers to take it up because it is cultivated and grows in a similar way to tobacco.
Major buyers are Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and European countries.
But tobacco farmer Arthur Stevens says there should be some diversification. This diversification is not aimed so much at the replacement of tobacco as the primary export. Stevens argues that past attempts at diversification have had varying degrees of success, recalling that in the 1940s and 1950s, the country became the world leader in tung oil, a fast-drying oil used as aviation fuel and as a drying agent in paint manufacturing. International technological developments, however, led gradually to its replacement by synthetics. Malawi is ranked sixth in the world in macadamia production.