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A30    world news
                     Diahuebs 28 aPRiL 2022

                       Zimbabwe’s tobacco rebounds amid worries over health, labor


                                                                      to  see  that  increase  “into  a  The  bulk  of  Zimbabwe’s  Gudu,  CEO  of  the  tobacco
                                                                      $5 billion industry by 2025,”  flue-cured   tobacco   crop  marketing  board,  told  The
                                                                      Agriculture Minister Anxious  now comes from more than  Associated Press.
                                                                      Musuka  said  at  the  opening  100,000  small-scale  Black
                                                                      of the tobacco auction season  farmers,   many   resettled  “Many  blue-chip  companies
                                                                      at the end of March.         on  formerly  white-owned  who are our customers have
                                                                                                   farms.  Small-scale  farmers  developed  a  code  that  they
                                                                      The  government  hopes  to  produced  133  million  kilo-  refer to as the sustainable to-
                                                                      encourage an increase in the  grams  (about  147,000  tons),  bacco program. As a supplier
                                                                      size of the tobacco crop to 300  about  63%  of  the  total  crop  we need to comply with that
                                                                      million  kilograms  (330,000  of  211  million  kilograms  code,  which  lists  deforesta-
                                                                      tons)  annually  by  providing  (about 233,000 tons) sold last  tion and child labor as some
                                                                      more local funding to farm-  year, according to the tobacco  of the undesirable practices,”
                                                                      ers, Musuka said.            marketing board.             Gudu said.

                                                                      With  tobacco’s  proven  role  This massive shift away from  The country has been on “a
                                                                      in  causing  cancer,  interna-  large-scale commercial farm-  blitz of afforestation” that in-
            (AP)  —  Zimbabwe,  Afri-    has rapidly increased the size  tional  marketers  are  urging  ing  has  changed  who  does  cludes farmers receiving tree
            ca’s biggest tobacco grow-   of its crop, regaining its spot  Zimbabwe to avoid any other  the  work  producing  the  la-  seedlings  to  establish  wood-
            er and one of the world’s  as one of the world’s top five  controversy by producing the  bor-intensive  crop.  The  big  lots  in  their  areas,  claimed
            top exporters of the nico-   exporters  of  tobacco.  It  ex-  crop in ways that don’t harm  white-owned   commercial  Gudu.
            tine  leaf,  has  opened  its  ported just over 200 million  the environment or use child  farms used to employ scores
            selling season for the crop  kilograms  (220,000  tons)  of  labor.                    of full-time workers but now  “We are planting a lot of trees
            amid pledges to fight de-    tobacco in 2021, according to                             the  small  farms  are  mostly  so  that  we  can  be  like  our
            forestation  and  child  la-  the  Tobacco  Industry  Mar-  Most of Zimbabwe’s tobacco  family  operations  that  often  competitors. For example, if
            bor  in  response  to  pres-  keting Board.               is  exported  to  Asian  coun-  rely on child labor, say rights  you  look  at  Brazil,  farmers
            sure  from  rights  groups,                               tries,  with  China  the  largest  activists.             there cure their tobacco from
            environmentalists and in-    This  year’s  crop  is  expected  single buyer.                                        woodlots  that  they  have  es-
            ternational buyers.          to  be  about  10%  and  15%                              Another  problem  is  that  tablished and not from indig-
                                         smaller  due  to  unfavorable  China  has  been  integral  to  many of the new smaller to-  enous trees … that’s what we
            Tobacco  is  on  a  rebound  in  weather, according to one of  Zimbabwe’s  tobacco  boom  bacco  growers  can’t  afford  want to do,” said Gudu.
            this  southern  African  nation  the  country’s  biggest  mer-  by  establishing  a  grower  the electricity or coal needed
            where production plummet-    chants TSL Limited.          contract  system  run  by  the  to cure the tobacco leaves so  Reducing  the  use  of  child
            ed  from  a  peak  of  260  mil-                          state-owned  China  National  they  cut  down  nearby  trees,  labor could be a harder task
            lion kilograms (290,000 tons)  Tobacco  is  one  of  Zimba-  Tobacco  Corporation,  the  causing  Zimbabwe’s  forests  because  many  families  have
            in 1998 to less than 50 mil-  bwe’s biggest earners of for-  world’s biggest cigarette pro-  to  decline  by  about  15%  to  been  doing  that  for  gen-
            lion kilograms (60,000 tons)  eign currency alongside min-  ducer. Under the system, the  20% annually in recent years,  erations,  some  farmers  said.
            a  decade  later  following  the  erals such as gold and funds  firm  loans  seeds,  fertilizers,  according to researchers.  Children  as  young  as  five
            eviction  of  several  thousand  sent  by  Zimbabweans  living  food,  and  money  for  labor                       work in the fields with their
            white farmers who accounted  outside the country. Tobacco  and wood to farmers, who in  Under  international  pres-  parents  as  part  of  their  nor-
            for the majority of growers.  earned Zimbabwe about $1.2  turn are obligated to sell their  sure,  Zimbabwe’s  tobacco  mal upbringing to help meet
                                         billion in exports last year and  crop to the firm or its agents.  industry  is  trying  to  reduce  family costs, they said.
            In  recent  years  Zimbabwe  the  government  would  like                              these  problems,  Meanwell

                          Ushering in Holocaust day, Israeli PM warns of polarization


            (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naf-  a letter with a live bullet and a death  Holocaust and make heroes of those  particular with increased health risks
            tali Bennett delivered a stark message  threat.  Israeli  authorities  tightened  who  survived.  Today,  the  country  is  as well as widespread loneliness and
            Wednesday as the country ushered in  security around the premier and his  home to a large but rapidly dwindling  despair.
            its  annual  Holocaust  memorial  day,  family and were investigating.  community of fewer than 165,000 ag-
            warning Jews against letting internal                                   ing survivors.                      Additionally, about a third of Israel’s
            divisions tear society apart.       “My brothers and sisters, we cannot,                                    Holocaust  survivors  live  below  the
                                                we simply cannot allow the same dan-  For  them,  challenges  loom.  This  poverty line, with many sustained by
            Speaking at Yad Vashem, Israel’s me-  gerous gene of factionalism dismantle  year’s ceremony comes as Israel and  government stipends and donations,
            morial to the 6 million Jews slaugh-  Israel from within,” Bennett said.  much  of  the  world  emerges  from  according to a group that represents
            tered by the Nazis and their collab-                                    the  coronavirus  pandemic,  which  survivors.
            orators,  Bennett  also  called  on  the  Bennett did not explicitly refer to pol-  confronted  Holocaust  survivors  in
            world  to  stop  comparing  the  Holo-  itics. But he leads a narrow coalition
            caust  to  other  events  in  history.  He  that  recently  lost  its  parliamentary
            spoke  after  leaders  in  both  Ukraine  majority. His government is made up
            and  Russia  drew  parallels  between  of eight parties that have little in com-
            their ongoing war and the genocide  mon  beyond  their  shared  animosity
            during World War II.                to former Prime Minister Benjamin
                                                Netanyahu, and Netanyahu, now the
            “As  the  years  go  by,  there  is  more  opposition leader, has worked hard to
            and more discourse in the world that  deepen divisions within the coalition.
            compares  other  difficult  events  to
            the Holocaust. But no,” he said. “No  Bennett’s  government  was  formed
            event in history, cruel as it may have  after four inconclusive elections, un-
            been,  is  comparable  to  the  extermi-  derscoring the fissures in society over
            nation of Europe’s Jews by the Nazis  key issues, including the conflict with
            and their collaborators.”           the Palestinians and relations between
                                                religious and secular Jews.
            Bennett’s speech, coming on one of
            Israel’s most solemn days of the year,  Israel, founded in 1948 in the wake
            came in a deeply personal context as  of the Nazi genocide, makes great ef-
            well. On Tuesday, his family received  fort to memorialize the victims of the
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