Zambia to stick with tobacco growing

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.