Independent tobacco farmers in Eastern Province are predicting a bumper harvest of 400 000 tons of flue-cured tobacco.

Eastern Fodya Association of Zambia (EFAZ) president Franklyn Mwale says enough rain in the province this year contributed to good harvests, in comparison with last year. “The province is expected to produce about 400 000 tons of flue-cured tobacco,” Mwale says.

He says independent farmers sponsored themselves this year, because the Tobacco Board of Zambia TBZ) had no revolving funds. Mwale says this year farmers decided to plant flue-cured tobacco, because of a readily available market.

“Last season we struggled to sell barley, and it remained in our storage facilities until recently when TBZ found a buyer for us.”