Production plummets

Tanzania produced 50.5 million kg of leaf tobacco in the 2017-2018 season, down from 60 million kg in 2016-2017, according to a Xinhua report.

Tobacco production in the country has been declining since 2013-2014, when Tanzania produced 105 million kg.

Industry representatives attribute the shrinkage to a combination of infestation and low demand.

“There has been a spate of pests that destroy tens of hectares of tobacco farms annually which subsequently raise production costs of the cash crop,” said Stanley Mnozya, deputy managing director of the Tanzania Tobacco Board.