• March 28, 2024

Tanzania in tobacco talks with China

 Tanzania in tobacco talks with China

Tanzania is in discussions about selling its leaf tobacco to China, according to a story in The Daily News.

At the same time, producers have been warned about a likely drop in tobacco prices, though it was not clear from the story whether these two developments were connected.

The Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, William Ole Nasha, said in the National Assembly that the government was in talks with Chinese business companies.

He warned, however, that tobacco was under pressure across the globe and that it was high time that farmers considered switching to alternative crops.

Nevertheless, Ole Nasha said the government had embarked on encouraging private companies to invest in tobacco processing to cater for the growing demand of the crop.

Tobacco is said to account for 40 percent of Tanzania’s export earnings.