LEAF NEWS
Zambia
The Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) has called on the country’s government to develop a policy that will help increase production as the sub-sector has potential to contribute to economic growth. TBZ chief executive officer Samson Muyembe said that in the past tobacco production has remained stagnant due to various challenges, citing lack of water resources for irrigation, increase in cost of production, and inadequate grower sponsorship.
While speaking at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock forum in Lusaka recently Muyembe said that the tobacco industry has the potential to reduce poverty and create jobs.
“The government should employ deliberate interventions to increase small-scale sector expansion programs that will help increase productivity. The crop creates employment for over 450,000 people through farming, regulation, marketing, warehousing, processing, agro-inputs suppliers, transporters contributing to economic development,” he said.
Muyembe said infrastructure development should be improved as it is also vital in developing of the tobacco industry, and stressed that TBZ has sheds, houses, farms, and dams located in different parts of the country, but most of them require rehabilitation. Muyembe, however, said climate change has caused uncertainty in rainfall amounts and distribution and that this has also affected the development of the tobacco industry.
He said there is need to adopt and promote the irrigation methods in the production of tobacco as it has a high yield potential and makes double cropping possible in one growing season.
“Construction of communal dams by government will facilitate early nursery preparations and production of irrigated tobacco by small-scale farmers. Tobacco can be planted under irrigation before the onset of the rains and this can increase yield at national level,” he said. Muyembe also said that government should consider extending the farmer input support programme to tobacco growers.