Zimbabwe Farmers Union supports gov`t stance on tobacco

Source from:  www.angolapress-angop.ao, 06/05 06/07/2005

Zimbabwe Farmers Union President Silas Hungwe said on Saturday that the union supported the government for refusing to bow to international pressure to ban the growing of tobacco. Hungwe urged Zimbabwe not to ratify the convention on the ban of tobacco, saying the convention would dent the country`s agricultural export capacity. In May 2003 the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Assembly adopted a convention banning the growing of tobacco to curb deaths related to smoking, which came into force on February 27 this year. "Our country depends heavily on tobacco for agricultural exports," said Hungwe. "Protective and control measures that address the issues to do with health would need to be put in place, while ensuring that the crop is grown," said Hungwe. WHO director for Africa, Luis Sambo, called on all African countries last week to ratify the convention. Nine African countries ratified it, while the rest argued that the move would harm their economies depending on the crop for foreign exchange earnings. The crop, which is Zimbabwe`s top foreign currency earner, raked in 140.2 million US dollars last year. 14.reased to promote cotton growing in Kakamega.