'Promote women and youths participation in tobacco production' - Gatawa

Senior agronomist Lazarus Gatawa has urged Tobacco Industry players to empower more women and youths to venture into mainstream tobacco production.   

Gatawa said women and youths have the potential to transform the current money being generated from tobacco.

 "This category of farmers has the potential to play a pivotal role in the drive to transform the  current $890 million USD sector into a $5 billion USD industry as embraced in the government's tobacco value chain transformation plan," Gatawa said.

"Tobacco organisations and merchants are being encouraged to put in place models and programs that economically empower more women and youths including school leavers, agriculture graduates from training centers, colleges and universities to venture into full-time tobacco farming than to only look to formal employment," he added.

Having more women and youths directly involved in tobacco production will strengthen the potential of farmers to be involved in research and development on sustainable tobacco production. The majority in this category have no grower numbers hence TIMB could create a policy that is favourable for women and youths to get them using farm ownership of their parents.