Peasant Farmers Call for Tobacco Processing Plant

Source from:  The Post (Lusaka) Mwila Nkonge 10/13/2004

THE National Association for Peasant and Small-scale Farmers of Zambia (NAPSFZ) has urged the government to facilitate the establishment of tobacco processing plants in Zambia. In a statement yesterday, NAPSFZ president Rodgers Phiri said establishing tobacco processing plants would enhance the market especially for small-scale tobacco farmers. Phiri said this would also help the country earn more from tobacco exports because there would be value added before exporting. Currently, tobacco production is on the upswing, especially in Central, Southern and Eastern provinces but the country has no processing plant. Thus, Zambian tobacco is processed in Malawi and Zimbabwe, which have the relevant plants. Phiri added that contrary to suggestions from certain quarters that the government should force a cut in tobacco production due to health concerns, the sector's growth should be fostered. He said tobacco farming has helped improve the livelihoods of farmers involved in it hence the need for stakeholders to promote its growth. "It is important that the people pushing for a reduction in tobacco production must be given an understanding of how critical the tobacco industry is to the economy," Phiri noted. "As of now, it is not feasible to cut down tobacco production because the government's investment in the sector through out-grower schemes is enormous. "Besides, tobacco has a higher gross margin compared to a good number of agricultural products and its profitability can enhance household food security and poverty reduction. Therefore, forcing a cut down in production can be economic suicide." He added that cutting down tobacco production would send many people in rural areas into poverty and frustrate the diversification effort within the agricultural sector. Phiri said this would further negate the government's quest to attain export-led agricultural development under the overall plan to increase non-traditional exports (NTEs). Enditem