Zambia’s deputy minister of Agriculture Maxas Ng’onga has ruled out for the time being at least the phasing out of tobacco production in the country, according to a NewsGhana.com story relayed by the TMA.
The deputy minister was responding to calls from anti-tobacco groups that want to see tobacco cultivation phased out in line with Zambia’s obligations under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Ng’onga said that such a move would hurt people from low-income groups who completely depended on the tobacco sector for their livelihood.
And he pointed out that tobacco contributed three percent to the country’s GDP and generated much-needed revenues through exports.
However, he said that there was a need for dialogue between the tobacco sector and the health authorities on the country’s adoption of the tobacco control treaty.