Govt reassures tobacco farmers

By Edward Kayiwa

KAMPALA - The Government will continue supporting tobacco growing, amid a campaign for the Tobacco Control Bill 2012.

State minister for investment James Mutende recently said the Government is consulting on possible ways of boosting commercial production of the tobacco leaf countrywide.

He made the remarks during the launch of Alliance One, a company that exports tobacco, at Serena Hotel in Kampala.

The minister said the Government is also looking for investors to build a factory in Masindi, to process over 35 million kilogrammes of tobacco cultivated annually across the country.

“We want to fill the gap that was left by BAT after they closed shop in Kampala and moved to Nairobi,” he noted.

“As government, we have consulted widely and learnt lessons from Tanzania and Malawi. We want to continue supporting investments in the sector.”
 

State minister for investment James Mutende says Government is also looking for investors to build a factory in Masindi

Statistics from the trade ministry indicate that over 95% of the tobacco produce is exported to more than 30 countries in Africa, Europe and America.

The commissioner for agricultural production in the agriculture ministry, Sam Seninde, said the Government has failed to find alternative crops to replace tobacco in areas where it is currently grown on a commercial scale.

West Nile, Bunyoro, Acholi-Lango and Kigezi sub-regions are among the leading tobacco growing areas in Uganda, comprising more than 75,000 farmers.

Seninde said tobacco is estimated to fetch more than $75m (about sh214.9b) every year, making it a key cash crop and foreign income earner that cannot be ignored.

The Tobacco Control Bill was introduced in Parliament as a private member’s Bill by Kinkiizi East MP Chris Baryomunsi.

The Bill is widely supported by the health ministry and other tobacco control partners under the Tobacco Control Coordination Mechanism.