By The Citizen Correspondent

The Tanzania Leaf Tobacco Company (TLTC) has donated Sh118.2 million to Urambo District to support education, health and water supply services.

The TLTC western zone operations general manager, Mr Thadeo Lyimo, said the donation will be spent for the construction of classrooms, dormitories, teachers’ houses, eco- latrines as well as water wells and health centres.

“Urambo District is a leading producer of flue cured tobacco in the country, and the donation is just a part of our company’s social responsibility programmes,” Mr Lyimo said yesterday during a hand-over ceremony.

 “Besides employing about 80 per cent of the working population, agriculture is central to the government drive to alleviate income poverty,” he added.

The Urambo district cooperative officer, Ms Hilda Boniface, said reforms made in the tobacco sub sector have greatly contributed towards the growth of the cooperatives in the district.

“Development of better tobacco seeds that are registered and certified by the Tanzania Tobacco Board (TTB) through TLTC’s seed farm located at the district have lead to good agricultural practices, which in turn, improved yields, hence better prices and consequently, a steady growth in the economy of our district,” she said.

About 60,000 tonnes of tobacco were expected during the 2009/10 harvesting season. The government collected about Sh90 billion in taxes in 2008/09 from the tobacco production.

 

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