Industry acts in face of forest crisis

Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) and tobacco merchants have established the Sustainable Afforestation Association (SAA) to spearhead reforestation across the country, according to a story by Elias Mambo for the Zimbabwe Standard.

The reforestation program is aimed at countering the deforestation that is taking place as a result of the increased number of small-scale tobacco growers now operating in the country.

According to Forestry Commission data released recently, Zimbabwe is estimated to have lost 15 percent of its tree cover during the past 15 years.

And Mambo quoted “experts” as saying that, at the current rate of loss, the country risked turning into a desert in 35 years.

In order to fund the program, the merchants were expected to contribute an amount equivalent to 1.5 percent of total tobacco sales for the whole season.

The SAA’s CEO, Maggie Okore, said her organization had already embarked on a massive reforestation program that would see 4,000 ha of new woodlots being planted by the end of the year.