Malawi: Tobacco Companies Should Do More in Afforestation-AHL Group

Source from:  All Africa 02/19/2016

With the tobacco industry said to have contributed to cutting down of trees, companies involved in the industry have been urged to do more in afforestation drive.

AHL Group Assistant Floors Manager for Chinkhoma Auction Floors Sam Chimwaza made the call Monday at Kasasanya Primary school in Sub-Traditional Authority (STA) Mphomwa in Kasungu during the launch of the company's tree planting season.

Chimwaza said the tobacco industry in Malawi relies mostly on trees and it is therefore imperative that all companies in the industry take a great role in making sure that many trees are planted.

"The tobacco industry uses a lot of trees mostly when it comes to curing certain kinds of tobacco and when it comes to making shades or barns for drying tobacco. At the moment, the only way to cure tobacco is to use wood therefore trees play a very great role.

"It is with this view that companies in the tobacco industry should be in the forefront in afforestation either by planting trees or donating tree seedlings," said Chimwaza.

The Assistant Floors Manager added that if trees were not there it would be suicidal to the industry since there is no any modern technology for curing tobacco.

STA Mphomwa while thanking AHL Group for planting trees in his area also said the tobacco industry has contributed to the cutting down of trees, however, he was quick to say that it is only a few people who are involved in replacing the trees.

Mphomwa also urged his fellow leaders to encourage their subjects to plant many trees.

Formerly Auction Holdings Limited, AHL Group which is involved in tobacco and other commodity marketing has donated 3330 tree seedlings to Kasasanya Primary school, some of which are fruit trees.

The company's tree planting program is done every year in all the regions of the country. Enditem