Regulate tobacco, govt prodded

GOVERNMENT should religiously enforce laws regulating tobacco to ensure the industry thrives for the benefit of all stakeholders, small scale tobacco farmers have said.

Eastern Province tobacco farmer Chishala Chilufya said several tobacco companies were not only based in Zambia but are also found in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania in which case the laws regarding tobacco are strictly adhered to.

Mr Chilufya said the tobacco firms had contact with the government only through the tobacco regulating bodies.

Speaking in an interview yesterday, Mr Chilufya said government should not allow tobacco farmers to be trampled upon and be subjected to modern day slavery.

“In Malawi and Tanzania merchants pay 5 cents per kilogram on the green leaf, after processing they pay 30 percent of their profit to the government. That is not the case here in Zambia, they only pay about K10 per truck as export fee,” Mr Chilufya said.

Another tobacco grower Saidi Phiri said tobacco was a drug and as such needed to be regulated particularly the issue of traceability, where it was grown, type of agricultural practice that was used, child labour tendencies and chemical compliance.

Mr Phiri said government through Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) should know what type of chemicals were being used, as if not regulated, unscrupulous people could use all sorts of chemicals which were not allowed.

He said if left unchecked the situation could put the Zambian government in bad light on the world market.

Mr Phiri has prodded government to support TBZ to regulate the industry which had not be regulated for more than 20years.