Tobacco prices in Tanzania's Tabora region are 10 times higher than previous seasons, shooting up to TZS4,000 (US$1.73) per kilogram, motivating small scale tobacco farmers to enhance production.
The higher price comes from the availability of reliable buyers, availability of farm input, and the quality of the product. Hemed Magaro, Uyui district executive director, said an increase in tobacco buyers, with several local investors venturing into the business, led to stiff competition and higher prices as everyone scrambled for the best products.
"There are at least five giant tobacco buyers in the region who led the addition of tobacco grades. This means that not only everybody sells, but at a reasonable price,” Magaro said.
According to Stanley Mnozya, acting director-general of the Tanzania Tobacco Board, the presence of reliable tobacco buyers means the availability of not only quality seeds but also a higher quantity of seeds to meet farmers’ requirements. There is an increase in this year’s seed supply at 68.5 million kg from 54 million in 2019.
Mnozya went on to say, “"We continue conducting farmers' verification so that we can have an exact number and set proper means to serve them. We have also made possible the availability of extension officers wherein a person serves at least 150 farmers. As a result, tobacco quality has been upgraded from 67% to 93%.”
The higher quality crops are also a result of extension officers visiting farmers throughout the farming season for conselling and related service.