Tanzania: Modern Tobacco Farming Gets New Push

(allAfrica.com) THE government's recent move to ask tobacco farmers to ignore calls by activists against the crop is seen as a new push to counter such a negative campaign.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof Jumanne Maghembe said in Arusha recently at the opening of the annual general meeting of International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), which took place in Tanzania for the first time that farmers work jointly with their respective governments to grow the crop more responsibly.
He also advised tobacco farmers in developing countries to transform their farming methods to match those of their counterparts in developed countries, including use of modern farm implements and irrigation.
"It is time you emulated your colleagues in developed nations who grow tobacco in modern agriculture by doing away with inferior farm implements, particularly the hand hoe. The use of tractors, oxen plough to facilitate the farming is still small, hence farmers' average acreage is between 0.8 to 1.0 hectares per family," he said in his speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary of his Ministry, Mr Mohammed Muya. Continued