Tobacco Farming Expands to Luapula Amid TBZ’s Denials

December 8, 2024

By Linda Tembo Soko

MakanDay’s investigation reveals the emergence of tobacco farming in Luapula Province despite the Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ)'s denial of initiating expansion activities in the region.

Before traveling to Mansa, MakanDay reached out to the Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) executive director, Robert Mwale, to verify reports of tobacco farming in Luapula Province. Mwale denied that TBZ had initiated any tobacco expansion activities in the region.

The trip to Mansa enabled MakanDay to confirm two key facts: tobacco is being cultivated in the area, and a company is actively promoting tobacco farming there.

TBZ is a government agency under the Ministry of Agriculture established to oversee the operations of the tobacco sub-sector in Zambia. TBZ derives its mandate from the Tobacco Act No. 10 of 2022, as outlined in the laws of Zambia. The regulation and oversight of the tobacco industry date back to 1968 when the Zambian tobacco law was first enacted.

A MakanDay reporter visited Luapula Province to investigate the claims. During the visit, the reporter met Loveness Mbewe, a single mother of two and the first female tobacco farmer in Mansa. Mbewe revealed that she began cultivating tobacco last year, after being motivated by the region’s favourable rainfall.

Mbewe disclosed that her farm is located in the Mabumba area of Mansa. As one of the first female tobacco farmers in Luapula, she played a pivotal role in encouraging TBZ to establish its presence in the province.

“Last year, I cultivated one hectare of flue-cured tobacco, which is labour-intensive, but I managed to sustain myself through the process,” she said.”

**Mbewe, dressed in a blue top, inspects her tobacco nursery**

MakanDay has established that TBZ has partnered with Voedsel Tobacco International to empower local farmers in Luapula by providing agricultural inputs and ensuring market access for their produce. According to its website, Voedsel Tobacco International specialises in sourcing and exporting African tobacco varieties, such as flue-cured Virginia and burley.

In Zambia, the company which operates as Voedsel Tobacco Zambia Limited, which was registered in 2020. Its directors comprise Zambian Edmond Chisanga and three Zimbabwean – Innocent Mahufe, Reward Mahufe, and Tennyson Hwandi.

Both TBZ and Voedsel have yet to respond to a set of questions from MakanDay regarding the presence of tobacco farming in Luapula. One of the key questions seeks to clarify how TBZ plans to ensure that tobacco farming in the region does not contribute to deforestation.

Tobacco farming in Luapula is gaining momentum, with farmers receiving sponsorship from Voedsel. A female farmer in the Luamfumu area of Mansa, currently cultivating two hectares of tobacco, disclosed that Voedsel supplies her inputs and will purchase her crop.

Matthew Zulu, a Mansa-based farmer growing five hectares of virginia tobacco and a member of the Luapula Chief Council (LCC) secretariat, confirmed the collaboration. According to Zulu, the LCC partnered with TBZ to promote tobacco farming as part of its economic transformation and job creation agenda.

“TBZ has already allocated Voedsel as a licenced buyer, and they are actively sponsoring farmers in the province. Currently, about 100 hectares have been planted by different farmers, and we expect this to grow to 120 hectares after the harvest,” Zulu said in a telephone interview.

Zulu also noted that TBZ and the chiefs’ council have established four demonstration sites across chiefdoms in Luapula Province – two in Mansa district under Chiefs Mabumba and Chisunka, one in Kawambwa district under Chief Munkanta, and one in Samfya district under Chief Kasoma Bangweulu.

Activists raise alarm over tobacco farming expansion in Luapula

Environmental activists have expressed strong concerns about the planned expansion of tobacco farming into Zambia’s Luapula Province. Lydia Chibambo, Acting Country Coordinator for the Zambia Climate Change Network (ZCCN), warned about the significant deforestation linked to tobacco farming, particularly from tree-cutting for curing processes.

Chibambo emphasised that deforestation has already devastated many parts of Zambia. She cautioned that extending these practices to the northern region, which benefits from favourable rainfall and is seen as a critical natural resource for the country’s future, could have far-reaching consequences.

“We have been advocating for nature-based solutions or agroecology, which promote growing crops in harmony with nature, incorporating agroforestry practices. However, if a farming practice involves cutting down more and more trees, it becomes a significant concern,” Chibambo explained.

She also referred to some case studies conducted in the Eastern Province, where TBZ is engaged in tobacco farming, noting that tobacco farming has led to not only the depletion of trees but also a significant loss of biodiversity.

She cautioned that if similar practices were introduced in the northern region, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Godfrey Phiri, an environmentalist, attributed much of the deforestation and environmental degradation in Zambia to tobacco farming. He pointed out that regions once managed by TBZ now stand as stark evidence of this damage, with large areas of land left barren and devoid of trees where tobacco farms once flourished.

Phiri specifically highlighted virginia tobacco, which requires flue-curing and is particularly damaging to forests due to its high wood consumption. In contrast, barley tobacco, although less harmful to the environment, has a lower market value, presenting economic difficulties for farmers.

“Despite tree planting initiatives that have been promoted over the years, their implementation and follow-up have often been inadequate. For example, many trees planted during National Tree Planting Day events fail to thrive due to poor management and care,” he said.

Deforestation and tobacco farming

Reports indicate that tobacco cultivation has significantly impacted forests since the mid-1970s, posing a major threat to biodiversity. Evidence points to extensive and largely irreversible losses of trees and plant species directly linked to tobacco farming.

Experts highlight that both tobacco cultivation and curing contribute to deforestation. Forests are cleared to make way for tobacco plantations, and wood is burned to cure the leaves. In some regions, air curing is used as an alternative, but the environmental toll remains concerning.

The process of drying tobacco leaves, referred to as “curing” by farmers and producers, involves four primary methods: air curing, fire curing, flue curing, and sun curing. Each method carries varying degrees of environmental impact, with deforestation being a key consequence of the widespread use of fire and flue curing.

The road ahead

Experts argue that despite advancements in efficiency and regulation, the tobacco industry remains far from achieving environmental sustainability. Over the past decade, tobacco control policies have posed an unparalleled threat to the industry’s profits, especially in developing countries.

The ratification and implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), to which Zambia became a part in 2008, is perceived by the industry as a major obstacle. In response, tobacco companies have aggressively lobbied governments and influenced policy-making to weaken or obstruct effective regulations.

For example, key provisions of the FCTC include Article 17, which calls for promoting viable economic alternatives for tobacco workers, growers, and sellers, and Article 18, which stresses the protection of the environment and public health in tobacco cultivation and manufacturing.

Despite these goals, tobacco companies, through front groups such as the International Tobacco Growers’ Association, argue that FCTC-based policies harm the livelihoods of farmers in low- and middle-income countries. At the same time, they downplay the severe social and environmental consequences of tobacco farming, often diverting attention through corporate social responsibility campaigns designed to mislead and deflect criticism.