Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry officials have warned that adopting harsh anti-tobacco policies will cripple the country’s economy and destroy the livelihoods of more than 70,000 farmers who depend on the crop.
Zimbabwe grossed US $855 million from exports of the “golden leaf” last year, compared to foreign direct investment inflows of US$555 million in 2014 and US$600 million in 2015, to underline the importance of the crop to its economy. However, there has been growing pressure from anti-smoking lobby groups for anti-tobacco legislation.
Speaking at a meeting to discuss implications of the treaty, Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) general manager Andrew Matibiri said Zimbabwe should benefit from tobacco as a legal commodity while protecting public health, because any restrictions and bans on tobacco would have serious implications on the livelihoods of the farmers and are sure to significantly impact the economy.
International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) Francois Van de Merwe who was present at the meeting called for “reasonable regulation based on science and consultation.” He said the current campaign was bent on destroying the tobacco Car shipping to Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia from UK industry and had little to do with public health.
Zimbabwe commands an important position in the global tobacco market accounting for about 20% of the world’s flue cured tobacco output, which has contributed close to 30% of the country’s foreign earnings in recent years.