THE government's recent move to ask tobacco farmers to ignore calls by activists against the crop is seen as a new push to counter such a negative campaign.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof Jumanne Maghembe said in Arusha recently at the opening of the annual general meeting of International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), which took place in Tanzania for the first time that farmers work jointly with their respective governments to grow the crop more responsibly.
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He also advised tobacco farmers in developing countries to transform their farming methods to match those of their counterparts in developed countries, including use of modern farm implements and irrigation.
"It is time you emulated your colleagues in developed nations who grow tobacco in modern agriculture by doing away with inferior farm implements, particularly the hand hoe. The use of tractors, oxen plough to facilitate the farming is still small, hence farmers' average acreage is between 0.8 to 1.0 hectares per family," he said in his speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary of his Ministry, Mr Mohammed Muya.
He also urged stakeholders to check post-harvest losses because currently growers lose up to 30 per cent of the crop, adding that the sector should embark on capacity building in barns building, bailing sheds, storage as well as increasing processing facilities.
"However, despite all benefits to our people and economies of our countries, the crop under the umbrella of World Health Organization framework Convention on tobacco control, (WHO-FCTC), in particular articles 9, 10, 17 and 18 is experiencing a number of critics and there is an urgent need for a balance that accounts for the interests of tobacco growers in many countries," he said.
"Crudely generalized statements against tobacco hold tobacco growers responsible for the relentless deforestation, basing on the hypothesis that all types of tobacco require conventional heat to be cured and that the only fuel used was wood, however, researchers have found that the sector accounted for 1per cent of all wood consumed in developing countries and also curing some types of tobacco like barley uses sunlight," the minister said.
Prof Maghembe said tobacco was the only sector that advocated preservation of the environment, including avoidance of land degradation by adopting-tree planting policy and records show since the year 2009/2010, more than 20 million trees are planted each year by tobacco growers.
He mentioned various advantages of tobacco over other alternative means of livelihood that it enjoys high price stability with a guaranteed market, hence helping to improve quality of life in rural areas.
The minister said with the view to eradicate child labour in tobacco farming, ITGA in conjunction with the International Union of Food (IUF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), established a special foundation on Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco-growing (ECLT) projects in running in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Kyrgyzstan.
Presenting her paper titled International Tobacco Control legislation and possible effects on the tobacco sector, Barbara Martelini of Ultoco Service S.A., a Geneva-based subsidiary of Universal Leaf Inc of USA, which is the parent company of Tanzania Leaf Tobacco Company, stressed it was high time the tobacco sector worked more closely to ensure correct representation of facts.
Another presenter, Carloss Ross from British American Tobacco(BAT), in his paper titled the role of BAT Biodiversity Partnership to the tobacco sub-sector, demonstrated how his company effectively manages biodiversity among farming partners.
Speaking at the meeting, the Director General of the Tanzania Tobacco Board (TTB) Frank Urio, said tobacco was an important crop for the development of the economy as it offers direct employment for well over 130,000 families countrywide, who are united in 300 primary societies and 7 co-operative unions.
Apart from the host, the meeting attracted participants from 20 countries namely South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Croatia, USA, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Enditem
