Kenya: Buyer Hitch Affects 10,000 Tobacco Farmers in Migori

Source from:  Daily Nation 05/20/2016

More than 10,000 tobacco growers in Migori are stuck with their crop in farms as they wait for a buyer to purchase it.

Thousands of acres of the tobacco grown in Suna West, Kuria West and Kuria East sub-counties are at risk of going to waste unless a new tobacco buyer comes to the rescue of the growers.

"The future looks bleak. We don't know who will buy our tobacco," said Kenya Tobacco Growers Association chairman Augustine Mwita.

"We are asking both the county and national governments to speed up the search for a new investor who can buy our cash crop," said Mr Mwita.

The farmers' woes have been compounded by the exit of the company Alliance One Tobacco, which was the biggest leaf buyer in Migori.

The firm moved to Uganda and Zimbabwe, citing poor leaf quality in Kenya.

British American Tobacco Kenya and Mastermind Tobacco still operate in Migori, but on a small scale.

Growers Pondering

The growers are pondering what to do with the tobacco on thousands of acres, before they switch to other cash crops.

"We are appealing to investors who may be interested in buying tobacco to come to Migori. Our future is bleak unless we find a company to buy our tobacco," said Martin Mwita, a farmer from Kehancha, Kuria West.

Migori accounts for 70 per cent of tobacco produced in Kenya.

More than Sh1.7 billion is paid to farmers in the region annually. Alliance One Tobacco, the biggest leaf merchant, was spending Sh1.2 billion on Migori farmers annually.

One of the farmers said he was ready to shift to another cash crop.

"We have failed to gain much from tobacco farming because of the low prices being offered by the buying companies," said John Rioba, a large-scale tobacco farmer from Kuria East sub-county.

"This explains the presence of abject poverty in the tobacco- growing areas," he said.

Migori County Assembly Majority Leader Jeyi Gucha said tobacco farming is turning into a liability for farmers in the region.

"Poor pay, coupled with health risks, has made this business less lucrative," he said. Enditem