Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe says low tobacco production of about twenty three million kilograms in the 2018/2018 farming season is saddening.
Speaking at the COMESA Business Council (CBC) sustainable tobacco region dialogue meeting in Lusaka, Mrs. Mwanakatwe says tobacco farming is cardinal in supporting economic development of countries.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe says tobacco is amongst the top ten traded products within the COMESA region.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe says tobacco is a key part of the Agriculture sector because it supports more than ten thousand small scale farmers and is part of the top ten Zambia’s export.
And COMESA business Council Chief Executive Officer Sandra Uwera says tobacco farming is an essential component of Agriculture supporting livelihood economic trade in the COMESA region.