Kenyans Opt to Sell Tobacco to Tanzania

Source from:  The Star  11/04/2013

Kenyan tobacco farmers along the Tanzania border have opted to sell their produce in the neighbouring country due to better prices and leaf grading measures.

A survey shows that a kilo of tobacco in Tanzania sells for over Sh360 while the same quantity which is often graded lower in Kenya goes for goes for Sh253 for a 190 kilo bag.

"We have been wondering why the same multinational in two different countries have different grades across the same climate zone," Abedi Chacha, the Bukira East County Assembly member said.

Chacha said in Kenya firms always keep the pricing and grading of tobacco leaves from farmers throughout the planting season and only give out the prices to farmers during the harvesting season.

"By this time a farmer is faced with an option of selling in Kenya and make a loss or move to Tanzania and make a profit," he said.

Farmers have also blamed zoning by tobacco firms which stops them from selling to the company with offering the highest price.

George Chege the regional manager of BAT and his Alliance One counterpart Patrick Kimani said that it was hard to control the matter which they blamed on farmers evading paying loans to them after financing their inputs.

"Our grades are based on nicotine level on the leaves and done competitively to offer farmers the best price according to country's prevailing market conditions," Chege said. Enditem