Zambian Government to Lobby for the Protection of Farmers Against Tobacco Ban

Friday, November 5, 2010

Zambian Government to Lobby for the Protection of Farmers Against Tobacco Ban

The Zambian government says it will use its position on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control-FCTC as party to the World Health Organization (WHO) working on articles 17 and 18 to lobby for the protection of farmers and encourage further studies and research on the articles.

Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Eustarckio Kazonga said this yesterday when he officiated at the breakfast meeting held at Pamodzi Hotel, Lusaka for high commissioners and ambassadors accredited to Zambia. The meeting as also attended by the Tobacco Association of Zambia, resentatives of the British American Tobacco and senior government officials from the ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

The Implication of the FCTC is the ban on production, processing and use of certain types of tobacco such as barley in the world. Dr Kazonga noted that the tobacco industry has contributed significantly to the to the country’s economy as seen in the 2010 tobacco marketing season where a total of over 98 million United States Dollars was realized through the sale of over 39 million kilograms. During the same year, the sector employed more than 450,000 people.

Dr Kazonga further added that the implications of the FCTC if implemented will cause damage not only to the farm households that depend on the crop, but the economies of the countries whose strength is in tobacco production and trade.

In the recent past there has been anti-tobacco that has mushroomed to which the WHO through the FCTC has embarked to destabilize the supply chain of tobacco.

Contributed by: Christopher Mbewe