Maravi

(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) Zim to be represented at Asian tobacco expo

Zim to be represented at Asian tobacco expo
Saturday, 15 September 2012 23:35
Sunday Mail Reporter

The Tobacco Association of Zim­babwe (TAZ) will participate at the World Tobacco Asia 2012 Expo which runs in the Indone­sian capital, Jakarta, from Wednesday to Friday this week amid calls for Zimbabwe to boost exports to the huge Asian market.
TAZ president Mr Temba Mliswa said his organisation was looking at unlocking opportuni­ties for the local tobacco industry, particularly in Indonesia, a large tobacco consumer and the fourth most populous nation in the world.

“We were part of the Africa-Sin­gapore Business Forum from August 28 to 29 where we inter­acted with potential investors in the agriculture sector and we are going back to South East Asia to explore further opportunities in the key tobacco industry.

“Indonesia is one of the biggest buyers of Zimbabwean tobacco, but they are doing so through middlemen. We want to look at ways of eliminating these middle­men so that we have direct access to this massive market,” said Mr Mliswa.

“Although we are going there for the tobacco expo, we will also take the opportunity to explore oppor­tunities for other agricultural products.”

This will be the second time that Jakarta will be hosting the event which will be held for the 40th year running.

Indonesia has the world’s fastest-developing cigarette mar­ket and 30 percent of the esti­mated 248 million adult popula­tion smokes, which makes Indonesia the fifth largest cigarette market in the world.

Indonesia is also a recognised tobacco friendly market with no smoking bans or other restrictions and regulations in contrast to other countries in that region.

Mr Mliswa said the Singapore business forum was successful, adding that he met three senior officials from Olam International Limited, a global integrated supply chain manager and processor of agricultural products and food ingredients.

Olam has operations in Zim­babwe which began in 2005 when it set up cotton operations.
The company currently runs a cotton-ginning model that pro­vides inputs like planting seeds, fertilisers and chemicals on credit to small and marginal farmers.

It also provides farmers with agronomy support and then buy their crops back for cash after which it gins the seed cotton and export the lint.

“I had interactions with the Olam global managing director, Mr Sunny Verghese, the interna­tional managing director in charge of natural fibres, Jagdish Parihar, and the senior vice-president, Mr Anupam Gupta, who is also the head of the Africa cotton opera­tions. Mr Gupta said Olam is will­ing to discuss cotton prices and to increase support for local farmers.

“He also said they support the country’s indigenisation policies,” said Mr Mliswa.

Labels: TAZ, TOBACCO

posted by MrK @ 2:57 PM