The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) says it will this year provide a US$70 million support facility to shore up productivity and competitiveness in the small-scale tobacco production sector. Central bank Governor Dr. John Mangudya said the interventions will be made through the RBZ Tobacco Finance Facility, administered by the…
Tobacco production in Zambia is at an all-time low as compared to Malawi and Zimbabwe, said Rhidah Mungomba, Tobacco Board of Zambia Chairperson. “Today our national production has fallen to an all-time low of 23 million kg/year compared to Zimbabwe’s 180 million and Malawi’s 150 million,” Mungomba told the 2017/’18…
Tobacco farming in South Africa (SA) is under threat due to an increase in the distribution and selling of illegal cigarettes. Tobacco farming had been severely affected by the 2015 drought and South Africa has lost around 2 million tons in production since 2012. Christo van Staden, Managing Director of…
Tobacco farmers in Malawi are abandoning the crop due to declining revenues, said the Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA). According to the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), tobacco prices dropped from a high of US$410/kg in 2010, to US$275/kg in 2016. “As a survival mechanism, farmers are abandoning the growing of…
Faced with a decline of more than 50% in production since last year, Zambian tobacco producers want Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption to gain market competitiveness. In submissions to the 2018 national budget, the Tobacco Association of Zambia (TAZ) said scrapping VAT will level the playing field for local producers…
Zambia’s tobacco production has decreased with 50%, slashing US$100 million of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. According to the Tobacco Association of Zambia (TAZ), the slump from last year’s 45 000 tons to 22 000 tons was due to continued pressure from anti-tobacco lobbyists. The decline worries government, who pledged…
Dr. Theo de Jager, newly elected president of the World Farmers’ Organisation said Zimbabwe still has the potential to fix its agricultural sector. “This can be done if the policy environment is restored. The country still has very good infrastructure and the greatest advantage is that recently there has been…
Mr. Dave Gordon is a commercial farmer and owner of Sable Farms in Zambia’s Chibombo district. He will also be a VIP visitor to the 2017 Agritech Expo at Chisamba from 27 to 29 April. Annemarie Roodbol, a journalist for the organisers, asked him a few questions Please tell us…
The Zambian tobacco industry is seeking the scrapping of the 16% value added tax (VAT) on green tobacco exports ahead of the 2017 marketing season which starts next month. Government meanwhile assured Zambian farmers it would put measures in place to protect the local industry. The assurance came amid mounting…
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…