From FCA Bulletin 108, page 2 (here in pdf format)
On 24 September 2006, the staff of the Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF) arrived in Namtumbo District, Ruvuma Region, in southern Tanzania. The objective of the trip was to get first-hand information from resource-poor tobaccofarmers.
What the TTCF staff witnessed was inconceivable: malnourished children, faces of hungry, desperate women and fathers who had given up hope of catering for family requirements, such as taking children to school, the sick to the hospital and above all, providing sufficient food forthe family. These were farmers who had been labouring in tobacco farms all their lives, some from as young as five years old.
They had “sold” their crop to thetobacco company in May but by September they still had not been paid.They were very bitter and angry with the government and the tobacco industry for undermining them, and wished they could engage in alternative crops to make a difference in their lives.
We took their video testimonies and I recall how each one of them wanted to be on camera, to “blow out” their grievances. Those testimonies were a great tool during the FCTC ratification process in parliament; testimonies that opened MPs eyes and enabled them to understand that tobacco was not as important economically to Tanzania as was being portrayed. That tobacco farmers were not the beneficiaries of the crop; instead it was the tobacco industry that gobbled up all the profit.
Those testimonies enabled the majority of MPs in parliament to endorse ratification of the FCTC.
Although TTCF had no financial resources to offer, farmers were advised to be courageous and adopt alternative crops, for even if they did not sell, they would have food to eat.
TTCF worked closely with the farmers and by showing care and support for them, we built trust and they accepted our proposals. Interestingly, Namtumbo farmers turned their anger into courage and made a bold decision: within six months, they had more than 100 acres each of sesame and sunflower ready for harvest.
Although efforts to assist them to secure an oil extraction machine failed and they had to sell their crops raw, they testified that for the first time they made a profit. The result of their first harvest was a driving force for them to increase acreage and also to encourage more farmers to adopt alternative crops.
In 2006, all farmers in Namtumbo depended on tobacco, a crop that left families miserable, poor and unable to cater for basic requirements; a crop that also degraded their land. After adoption ofalternative crops – mainly sesame, sunflower, ground nuts and rice – farmers now testify that their socio-economic status has improved greatly.
They now have buyers coming to purchase their produce on-farm and paying cash on purchase. They now have enough money to pays chool fees for their children, care for the family's health and above all, enough time to produce sufficient food crops.
By September 2010, exactly three yearsafter TTCF's first encounter, 72 per cent of Namtumbo farmers were growing alternative crops, with the remaining farmers reducing further their tobacco acreage in favour of alternatives. This development has gained so much popularity that it was a major election campaign issue, with one presidential candidate promising to ban tobacco farming if elected.
In the meantime, with very limited resources, TTCF through the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) organised an entrepreneurship workshop for representatives of farmers who had adopted alternative crops.
This workshop was an inspiration that encouraged more farmers to support the idea of alternative crops.––popularity that it was a major election campaign issue, with one presidential candidate promising to ban tobacco farming if elected.
As more and more farmers adopt alternative crops, the issue of markets is becoming a serious one, with some growers having more than 100 kg of crops left after the harvest, particularly sunflower. This has made some farmers unsure about continuing to farm.
Fortunately, sesame has a market, although buyers cheat farmers by using fake scales. Namtumbo farmers took courage and liberated themselves from tobacco slavery; now they need to be encouraged and supported.
Since their main problem today is a market for their produce, efforts need to be made to ensure genuine and profitable markets for it.
TTCF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food security and Co-operatives, is working closely with theTanzania Warehouse Licensing Board (TWLB) under the Warehouse Receipt Project to enable farmers to sell their crops profitably.
Through the TWLB system, when farmers deposit their produce in a warehouse they receive 70 per cent of the value of their crop while TWLB secures appropriate markets for the crops. After final sale, farmers get paid the remaining 30 percent.
This will enable farmers to gain maximum profit from their produce and hence improve further their socio-economic status and sustain their environment.
At COP-2, TTCF reported about the pain and agony of resource-poor tobacco farmers of Namtumbo District; today atCOP-4, TTCF is reporting a success story of ex-tobacco farmers of Namtumbo District.
Lutgard K Kagaruki
Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum
Dar es Salaam, [email protected]
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