By CHATULA KANGALI –
INDEPENDENT tobacco farmers in Eastern Province have this farming season shunned growing barley tobacco due to lack of market, the Eastern Fodya Association of Zambia (EFAZ) has said.
EFAZ president Francklyn Mwale said that independent tobacco farmers had this year not grown barley because it was difficult to find the market.
He said in an interview that the farmers had this season planted Flue Cured Tobacco whose market was readily available.
“Last marketing season, we found it very difficult to sell barley, it remained stuck in our storage facilities until last week when the Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) found a buyer for us from Malawi. So this farming season farmers have not planted it,” he said.
Mr Mwale said that only farmers that were supported by the Japan Tobacco International planted the crop this farming season.
Mr Mwale said that the province was this year expected to have a good harvest compared to last year because of the favourable rainfall pattern the province had experienced.
He said that about 260 hectares of tobacco were this year planted and that the province was expected to produce about 400,000 tonnes of flue cured tobacco.
He said that independent farmers had this year sponsored themselves because there were no revolving funds from TBZ.
Mr Mwale said that the farmers were next week expected to start receiving the money from the sale of the crop to TBZ.
He thanked the TBZ for finding a buyer that procured more than 100 tonnes of barley tobacco which remained from the last marketing season.