Chief Siachitema of Kalomo has called on the government to come up
with stiff measures to ban smoking in public and increase taxes on
tobacco products.
The Chief was speaking in Kalomo during the Tobacco Farmers
Dissemination and Sensitisation meeting said Government should also
help these farmers to come up with other cash crops other than
tobacco.
He said despite farmers making a lot of money from the growing of
tobacco the crop had contributed to the increased deaths of so many
people.
About six million people die from the use of tobacco every year
worldwide that was one person dying every six seconds according to
research.
“With the alarming figures of tobacco deaths I wish to urge the
government of Zambia to look into tobacco issues seriously and put
strong measures on people who smoke such as banning smoking in public
places, increase taxes on all tobacco products.
“For tobacco farmers see what you are growing, the crop is killing
people yes money is good but we need to consider the lives that are
being wasted,” he said.
Tobacco Free Association of Zambia (TFAZ) executive director Brenda
Chitindi said the country should have a development priority in the
coming years to promote alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers.
“In the coming years Zambia’s government would be wise to reconsider
the recent support for tobacco production and instead seek viable
livelihoods that would help industrious Zambians,” Ms Chitindi said.
Ms Chitindi said the alternatives should include helping the farmers
to develop improved markets for other types of agricultural and
non-agricultural products and also to have access to credit.
She urged the tobacco farmers to venture into goat raring, piggery and
village chicken farming.
The University of Zambia, School of Medicine in collaboration with the
American Cancer Society in 2015 conducted a research in tobacco
growing areas which are Chipata, Lundazi, Kapiri Mposhi, Serenje,
Choma and Kalomo, whose finding show that the farmers were interested
in finding alternatives but they lack support to transition.
The research also showed that tobacco farming was not lucrative
economic livelihood for most farmers and that the grading of the
tobacco leaf was not favourable to the grower.
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These are the traditional leaders we need in Zambia; very wise concern.
Sir I think we have more serious problems under the lungu dictatorship to look into than mere smokers. We are talking corruption by high level pf officials like Dora in the maizegate. We are talking arbitrary arrest of journalists like mutinta and victimisation of opposition and their families. We are talking an illegal president who had refused to have petition heard and is now removing Zambia from icc because he is a criminal.
The chiefs thinking is very progressive compared to you thinking NEZ. A lot of people think they don’t smoke but in reality they smoke passively. You are good example. I’m very sure you passively smoke a lot of it. Lets not think politics all the time. Lets embrace such good thinking from these traditional leaders regardless of were they come from.
A very wise chief indeed, as old as he may be , can still see so clearer than NEZ who always see HH even in his dreams, in daylight his vision is always distorted with tobacco smoke. Poor boy, you better visit the doctor.
To the two dumb heads above: how do you enforce such regulations when public funds are been siphoned and stolen under pf. Do you know that it requires financial backing to implement laws to prohibit smoking in public? Do you see how short sighted you are? No wonder why this government is failing us. No foresight
The Chief has a valid point…but this is a reactive govt of empty tins!!
You sound empty yourself!kikiki
The chief is right smoking should be banned from public places e.g. buses, bars, offices, taverns, restaurants, etc. But on stopping farming & production of tobacco, Peter Sinkamba may not agree because that may jeoprdise with his greens party brand. Farming of tobacco may continue strictly for export provided the traditional leaders, church & health workers educate their people not to smoke. But doctors themselves are the masters of smoking & if all farmers of tobacco quit tobacco farming, I presume doctors may resign from their jobs to take up tobacco farming to satisfy their habits?
The chief is light years ahead of govt. This is long overdue. Public smoking should have been banned in 1991 but your president preferred to declare Zambia a Christian state instead of protecting the health of His citizens. Talk about wrong priorities.