The government of Namibia has approved a proposal by Namibia Oriental Tobacco (NOT) to produce tobacco on one of Namibia’s most fertile pieces of land in the Zambezi region, despite opposition from some quarters, according to a report in The Namibian.
NOT plans to grow tobacco worth $945 million on a 10,000 hectare farm.
The Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR) has publicly objected to any proposal to grow tobacco in Namibia at the expense of food crops.
In a letter to President Hage Geingob, AR leader Job Amupanda said that the cabinet’s decision to allow the Chinese company to grow tobacco was unlawful and in violation of existing laws. Amupanda said the decision could be reversed by a court of law.