Farmers sue BAT over Tobacco

Source from:  By Lominda Afedraru COURT 03/31/2005

Tobacco growers in Hoima and Masindi have sued British America Tobacco (B.A.T) for not buying their produce. The farmers through Muwema & Mugerwa Co Advocates filed the suit at the High Court's Commercial Division March 22, 2005. According to the plaint, five men are representing 2,838 farmers from the two districts in the said case. They include Mr Sedrach Mwijakubi, Mr Mukitale Asiimwe, Mr Joshua Byangire, Mr Fenekansi Babyesiza and Mr Solomon Kiiza. The farmers are seeking a court order that B.A.T compensates them for tobacco grown during the 2004 growing season, an order to assess the value and pay the unbought tobacco during the said period, general damages and costs of the suit. The group claims that at all material times they have been registered tobacco farmers with B.A.T who executed standard form contract to support them grow their tobacco throughout the 2004 tobacco growing season. The farmers allege that they grew the said tobacco in the districts of Hoima and Masindi under the direct supervision and technical control of B.A.T in that the defendant sold to them seeds, fertilisers, chemical and other inputs. The group claims that according to the said contract B.A.T was bound to deduct the cost of the above inputs supplied from the price to be paid to them for tobacco sold to the former. The group says that under the contract, the two parties were to agree on price at which the growers would sell their product to B.A.T. Enditem