Zambia: East Predicts Tobacco Bumper Harvest

Source from:  The Times of Zambia 05/24/2010

EASTERN Fodya Association of Zambia (EFAZ) has predicted a tobacco bumper harvest in Zozwe area Vubwi Constituency. EFAZ Zozwe floor manager Edward Zimba said the association was overwhelmed with the flow of tobacco that the farmers were taking to the shed. Mr Zimba was speaking when Provincial minister Isaac Banda, Local Government and Housing Minister Eustarckio Kazonga and Chadiza District commissioner Peter Nyirenda toured the tobacco shed in Vubwi Constituency on the border with Malawi and Mozambique. He explained that EFAZ was targeting to procure about 3.7 million kilogrammes of tobacco in Zozwe area in Vubwi Constituency. He said, so far, the association has managed to buy 1.6 million kilogrammes of tobacco from farmers and the sheds were already full. "This year we are expecting a bumper tobacco harvest. The response from farmers is very overwhelming. We intend to buy a total of 3.7 million kilogrammes of tobacco but currently we have only bought 1.6 million kilogrammes," he said. This year's tobacco prices have been pegged from 85 cent to $2.35 US dollars depending on the grades. Mr Zimba has appealed to the Government to consider constructing another shed in the area in order to meet the ever-increasing production of tobacco. He explained the current Food Reserve Agency (FRA) shed could only accommodate a total of 4,000 bales of tobacco. "We are worried because the tobacco market season might collide with the maize season and there would be no space for storage in the sheds." He said. Mr Zimba also complained that the trucks ferrying tobacco from Zambia to the processing plants in Malawi were taking long to be cleared at the Mwami Border and bales of tobacco were piling in the sheds. He said the trucks carrying tobacco were taking a week to be cleared at the Zambia-Malawi border due to what he termed as archaic clearing procedures. He appealed to the Government to quickly intervene in the matter to lessen congestion in sheds. And Mr Banda assured the EFAZ that the Government would investigate what was causing delays in the clearing of trucks at the border post. Enditem