Tobacco Commission (TC) ha s u rged tobacco farmers in Mzimba District to establish woodl o t s to ensure a sustainable supply of trees for curing tobacco.
The commission’s division manager for Kasungu Isaac Chikolola said tobacco curing requires large quantities of firewood.
Primary School in Mzimba. I Joel Phiri
He said: “That is why we led a tree-planting exercise on Sunday at Kaipheke Junior Primary School in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mabilabo because the tobacco industry recognises the environmental impact associated with tobacco curing.
“The tobacco industry acknowledges that tobacco curing requires a lot of trees, par ticularly for farmers involved in production. This is why the 2024 Tobacco Industry Act prescribes that every tobacco grower should plant trees as part of renewing their licences.”
Chikolola said the exercise is part of broader efforts by stakeholders in the tobacco industry to promote environmental conservation and sustainable farming practices.
M’mbelwa District Council chairperson Joel Nkhata said the council attaches great value to conservation of natural resources, including trees.
“We, therefore, would like to applaud tobacco industry players for taking the tree-planting exercise to the district. We appeal to communities to take care of the trees,” he said.
Senior Chief Mabilabo warned community members against allowing livestock to destroy the trees.
“We must all take part in protecting these trees. If we allow animals to feed on them, our efforts to restore the environment will be in vain,” he said.
Mzimba district assistant forestry officer Stapples Nyandeni expressed concern over continued charcoal production in many areas, saying the practice is accelerating deforestation.
He stressed the need for communities and farmers to adopt tree-planting and proper forest management practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The commission plans to plant about 11 500 trees across five districts under Kasungu Division, namely Mzimba South, Mchinji, Kasungu, Rumphi and Nkhotakota
