Tobacco farm saga smouldering

ABOUT 10 000 hectares of Zambezi communal land is likely to be given to a Chinese company that wants to grow tobacco despite opposition by the regional communal land board, which will meet on 24 January for the hearing of formal objections.

The Zambezi Communal Land Board chairperson, Regina Ndopu-Lubinda, in a letter she wrote last year, had already recommended to the land reform ministry that the company should not get the land.

In response, the minsitry advised the land board to convene a hearing that will be attended by those who have submitted objections.

Ndopu-Lubinda then wrote to the objectors inviting them to attend and requested them to provide the land board with any supporting documents/ information for the objections.

However, the final decision lies with lands minister, Utoni Nujoma, who supported the project last year in parliament when he said the plantation would set Namibia on a path to industrialisation.

At the time, the minister said Namibia should learn from the Cubans, who exported Cuban cigars, and that the tobacco would be for those who wanted it, and not for local consumption.

In a text message to The Namibain yesterday, Nujoma said the Zambezi Land Board has so far communicated nothing to him.

The ministry of environment has issued a clearance certificate for tobacco plantation.

Ndopu-Lubinda confirmed to The Namibian yesterday that three “formal and valid” objections have been received. She also said letters have been sent to those opposed to the plantation idea, notifying them about their final meeting.

One of the objections was from the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) group led by land activists Job Amupanda, George Kambala and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, while the other was from the Namibia Consumer Trust headed by Michael Gaweseb and the last one from a community member.

Namibia Oriental Tobacco CC, an entity co-owned by Swapo Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu, received 10 000 hectares at Liselo, on the outskirts of Katima Mulilo.

The company plans to grow tobacco and maize on the land, and needs approval from several government bodies, including the regional land board, which would make recommendations to the lands minister for approval.

Although the land board had already rejected the tobacco plantation in the region in May 2015, the lands ministry has instructed it to call a meeting and invite objectors to justify their positions.

On their objection from 2015, AR’s Amupanda said: “It cannot be correct that our most fertile land is used to produce drugs, and not food.”

Amupanda confirmed yesterday that an invitation to the hearing had been received, and stated that they would be meeting with their lawyers today to discuss what was requested of them, and whether they would be attending.

The executive director of the Namibia Consumer Trust, Michael Gaweseb, in his objection in August 2015 said tobacco production led to undernourishment as soil nutrients were destroyed, leaving the ground unsuitable for food production.

Gaweseb, who said he will attend the meeting, further argued that plantation workers would be exposed to green tobacco sickness, which was a type of poisoning that occurred from handling wet, uncured tobacco.

In the meantime, the supposedly N$14 billion tobacco and maize project has already received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

The environmental clearance was valid for three years from the date of issue, which was 19 December 2014, unless withdrawn by the ministry.

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