Tobacco.org

• Tobacco firm accused of being cons 

SENIOR government leaders have accused Alliance One    Tobacco Tanzania Ltd for allegedly conning tobacco growers in Serengeti and Tarime districts in Mara Region.

They made the accusation   at the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC), a highest ranking decision making organ at the regional level, which met here late last week.

"So many tobacco farmers are so bitter with Alliance One.  This company has monopolized the market and farmers are not getting good prices", Tarime District Council Chairman Mr Amos Sagara told the packed meeting which was chaired by Mara Regional Commissioner (RC) Mr John Tupa.

Without specifying, Mr Sagara claimed that Mara produce tobacco with the best quality in the country   but farmers   are being disappointed with poor prices. He suggested that it is   high time for more firms to   buy tobacco from Mara in a bid to create competition.

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Tobacco processing firm donates equipment to seven schools 

Dar es Salaam. The Morogoro-based tobacco processing, buying and selling company, Alliance One Tobacco Tanzania Limited has donated items worth over Sh20 million to seven secondary and primary schools.

The contribution is part of the firm’s contribution to the country’s 50th independence anniversary as well as its corporate social responsibility programme.

Among the items donated by the tobacco processing company are books, desks and school building materials.

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Tobacco growers urged to keep on producing  

The Tanzanian government has urged tobacco growers to distance themselves from unfounded claims about the crop, but, at the same time, to work tirelessly towards growing it more responsibly, according to a story in The Guardian.

The Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, in a speech read out at the opening of the annual general meeting of the International Tobacco Growers' Association by the permanent secretary, Mohammed Muya, advised tobacco growers in developing countries to transform their farming methods to match those of their counterparts in developed countries.

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Tanzania’s Clove industry under scrutiny  

After over four decades of decline and stagnation, clove - Zanzibar's backbone sector - is back with a price bang and renewed advocacy. But Clove growers are sceptical about the current regeneration path taken by the government and its agencies in an effort to bring back to new life the clove industry in Zanzibar.

The farmers feel that focusing just on few issues like price to revive such a huge industry won't help a great deal. . . .

Zacpo strongly recommends disbandment of the ZSTC and introduce free market mechanisms to run the industry for better performance. “Efforts should also be made to activate local demand for cloves especially industrial demand for production of essential oils. The main instrument for rejuvenation of Indonesian clove industry was high local demand of cloves from kretek –cigarette manufacturers,” it stresses.

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Modern tobacco farming gets new push 

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. . . .

Speaking at the meeting, the Director General of the Tanzania Tobacco Board (TTB) Frank Urio, said tobacco was an important crop for the development of the economy as it offers direct employment for well over 130,000 families countrywide, who are united in 300 primary societies and 7 co-operative unions.

Apart from the host, the meeting attracted participants from 20 countries namely South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Croatia, USA, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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• Govt advocates responsible tobacco farming  

The government has urged tobacco farmers to distance themselves from unfounded claims about the crop, and instead work tirelessly to grow the crop more responsibly.

Also, tobacco farmers in developing countries have been advised to transform their farming methods to match those of their counterparts in developed countries, including the use of modern farm implements and irrigation.

Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Prof Jumanne Maghembe made the call at the opening of the annual general meeting of the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), which took place in Tanzania for the first time.

“It is time you emulated your colleagues in developed nations who grow tobacco in a modern manner by doing away with inferior farm implements, particularly the hand hoe. The use of tractors and oxen ploughs to facilitate the farming is still small, hence farmers’ average acreage is between 0.8 and 1.0 hectares per family,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by Permanent Secretary Mohammed Muya. . . .

Apart from the host, the meeting attracted participants from 20 countries, including South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia and Croatia.

Others wrere USA, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Uganda, Zambia And Zimbabwe.

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• Combating child labour in tobacco areas 

CHILD labour has become a global problem, denying the victims the opportunity to prepare their bright future. This is by refuting them to access education. According to the United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF), there are estimated 250 million children aged 5 to 14 in child labour worldwide. The list excludes child domestic labour.

"In many developing countries, including Tanzania, Child Labour is a problem that is found at the household level, community level and almost all sectors of national economy, including in domestic work, commercial, agriculture, fishing and mining both in rural and urban areas," said the Minister of Labour and Employment, Ms Gaudensia Kabaka.

The Minister, who was speaking during the launch ceremony of programme to combat child labour in tobacco growing areas recently, said the child labour denies the children the intellectual and psychological development for a better future. She says that the new programme on combating child labour dubbed PROSPER (Promoting Sustainable Practice to Eradicate Child Labour in Tobacco) would help to address the problem and help the children to go back to school.

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CLORA: Non-smokers suffer most from smoking-related illnesses 

There has been widespread talk about the hazards associated with smoking. It is surprising to note that despite these talks about the harmful effects from smoking tobacco statistics show that the number of tobacco smokers is not decreasing.

Could it be that people don’t really understand the effects of smoking on their health and the risk to the person sitting next to them not mentioning the effect on the environment?

I will go down memory lane to the year 2007’s World No Tobacco Day. In a move to reduce the risk on non-smokers that year’s World No Tobacco Day was commemorated with a difference when smoking tobacco was banned at the Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport. . . .

The other very important tip that was suggested was that of telling one’s family that you needed to quit smoking and needed their support.

Smoking in public places is banned almost anywhere, but even if it is allowed one must not smoke where there is a large concentration of people. You could be causing someone unintentional harm by smoking in public places. Also, you will be much healthier if you stop smoking. Speaking at the climax of the World No Tobacco Day in Dar es Salaam, TAA Executive Director, Prosper Tesha, said the decision was aimed at controlling smoking in open places countrywide.

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Parents who smoke cigarettes! 

A few years ago, the Chairperson of the Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF), Ms Lutgard Kagaruki, told Members of Parliament at a seminar in Dodoma that the local tobacco industry was luring young people, including children into adopting ìa very dangerousî habit in smoking.

Ms Kagaruki said that tobacco smokers, growers and handlers are exposed to dozens of health hazards every year, most of which are fatal. She was also concerned that even the statutory warning on cigarette packs and billboards is presented in small characters and is almost invisible. Consequently, children as young as ten years are seen puffing on cigarettes in schools these days.

A few decades ago women smokers raised eyebrows for; smoking was predominantly a macho habit displayed ostentatiously by men. Today, even girls as young as ten take up smoking, she said. The lawmakers at the seminar also heard that underage children have been seen working in tobacco plantations. Apart from being exposed to health hazards, Ms Kagaruki said, the children are engaged in one of the worst forms of labour. . . .

Parents who smoke expose their children to a very hostile environment. Let us take a keener look at childrenís respiratory health problems and how best to avoid or tackle them. Coughs, colds, pneumonia, tuberculosis and others are nasty health hazards for both children and adults. Coughs and colds spread easily especially in overcrowded areas., paedestrians say.

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Tanzania's tobacco budding in the global market 

TOBACCO has of late emerged as one of the main sources of government revenue among total traditional exports, according to the Bank of Tanzania monthly economic review. This comes after the government took decisive measures since 2009 to increase tobacco production from 58,702 tons to 60,000 tons.

In the BoT wide range review, produce largely featuring include tobacco, horticultural products, re-exports and other exports. By the same vein, official government figures show that a total of 340bn/- was collected as taxes from tobacco in the last five years.

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DC suspects foul play in tobacco fire damage 

PRELIMINARY report of a probe team investigating the incident in which over 115,000 kilogrammes of tobacco worth 300m/- was destroyed at the main storage facility in Mpanda last week suggests a possible foul play.

The Mpanda District Commissioner, Dr Rajab Rutengwe who is also the Chairperson of the District's Security and Defence Committee told the 'Daily News' over the phone on Monday that the report indicated that there was an inside job.

He said the probe team submitted its preliminary report on Monday which indicated two companies colluded to cause the damage.

He however, did not go into detail and declined to identify the two suspected companies since investigation was still going on.

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Tobacco firm moves raise efficiency to improve efficiency 

Alliance One Tobacco (T) Ltd, is implementing three projects that seek to improve its processing operations that include processing capacity through a new processing line to improve the capacity from the current 35,000 tonnes to 60,000.

Other projects include the introduction of computerised system of loading and receiving of tobacco aimed at reducing handling time and green leaf storage at the factory and introduction of stacking racks.

A statement issued over the weekend by the company when announcing the appointment of a new managing director, Mr Mark Mason, who replaces Mr Graham Kayes, who has been appointed regional director for Alliance One Africa.

Expounding, Mr Mason said the value of the new investments this year is $10 million,

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WHO: Unhealthy lifestyles to kill 52 million yearly by 2030 

This year’s rush for the cupful of a herbal concoction offered by the Rev Ambilikile Mwasapila of Samunge Village in Loliondo by those expecting a miraculous cure is a good testimony of the big health challenge facing the country, and perhaps most developing nations.The unprecedented rush has ensued following Rev Mwasapila’s claim that his concoction provides cure for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and HIV/Aids.

According to a recent World Health Organisation’s (WHO) report, chronic diseases, most of which are to do with unhealthy and ethically wanting lifestyles, will claim 52 million lives each year globally by 2030.

As unhealthy lifestyles go unabated and most funds being injected into infectious disease control, greater tolls are predicted to occur in developing nations amid warning by public health experts of an imminent global epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). . . .

Tanzania is also being threatened by the imminent public health crisis, which experts associate with lifestyles, levels of income, eating habits and education. The threat is not only confined to the rich living in urban areas, but also the poor living in remote parts of the country.

In a survey undertaken in Iringa Region’s Kilolo District four years ago, it was found out that the prevalence of alcohol consumption was 71 per cent, and tobacco smoking six per cent. The survey by the ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Institute for Medical Research and Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, involving a sample of 383 aged 25-64, was done a year before WHO undertook the 2008 global evaluation of chronic diseases.

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• A woman with passion, commitment to fight tobacco 

Surrounded by anti-smoking banners and photocopies of newspaper articles denouncing smoking and tobacco cultivation, Ms Lutgard Kokulinda Kagaruki has long deviated from her professional line of duty as a veterinary researcher to embark on a tough crusade against tobacco cultivation, trade and use.

In her tiny room in a modest house at the junction of Sam Nujoma and Sinza Makaburini roads in Dar es Salaam, M Kagaruki, however, is not happy by the prevailing trend.

"I don't think we are doing enough as a country to stop tobacco cultivation and cigarettes smoking even after we ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) several years ago," she said bitterly while standing up to fish out a file with information on the subject to provide further details.

Formerly working as full time Executive Secretary with the Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF) which received a grant from Bloomberg Foundation to fight smoking and help contribute to the country Tobacco Strategy and Policy in line with the convention, Ms Kagaruki is back at work at Animal Diseases Research Institute of Ministry of Water and Livestock Development. But her passion and commitment to fight tobacco cultivation and smoking has still kept her busy with TTCF as Executive Director, working voluntarily without payment.

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DAYA: Stop smoking, even at home! 

A few hours ago I visited a patient who has advanced lung cancer with uncontrolled cancer cell growth in the tissues of the lungs. Such growth leads to metastasis, meaning the invasion of adjacent tissues and infiltration beyond the lungs.

Lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women, is responsible for over 5.5 million deaths a year. . . .

His regret was that he did not quit smoking, the cause of his cancer through long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. He said that when he endured strenuous suffering while going through treatment, he only blamed himself.

However, he felt that he could have saved his family members a lot of anxiety and worry had he not smoked or had he quit smoking before the disease got hold of him.

He said that smokers should be reminded that precaution is better than cure and should quit smoking with the understanding that every puff inhaled has the potential to kill them and their family members through secondary poisoning. He asked smokers to stop smoking, even at home.

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