By 
Chipangali Council Chairperson Maxson Nkhoma has issued an urgent appeal to the government to address the plight of tobacco farmers stranded with their crop in Eastern Province.
Nkhoma said the government had both the mandate and responsibility to ensure that matters affecting the farming community were attended to with the urgency they deserve.
In a statement issued in Chipangali, Nkhoma described as deeply saddening that farmers were stuck with over two million metric tonnes of tobacco while little progress was being made to find a solution.
“This situation threatens the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking farmers and risks undermining the agricultural potential of our province,” he said.
He further called on President Hakainde Hichilema to take personal interest in the matter, noting that the wellbeing of the farmers was directly linked to national food security, rural development, and economic growth.
“While we acknowledge the efforts being made by the Tobacco Board of Zambia, the pace of progress remains far too slow to inspire any meaningful hope among the affected farmers,” Nkhoma said.
He stressed that concrete and immediate interventions were required to restore confidence and secure the livelihoods of those who depend on tobacco farming.
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