Alliance One embarks on reforestation in Nzega

TABORA: ALLIANCE One Tobacco Tanzania Limited (AOTL) has embarked on a 980m/- natural forest restoration project damaged by human activities in Nzega District, Tabora Region.

In this initiative, the Company plans to plant 1,062,500 trees as part of the Ngukumo tree farm project in Nzega District.

The AOTL’s Forest Controller, Rashid Salum, revealed this during a brief address to the visiting Uhuru Torch delegation at the forest planted by the company for various uses by the surrounding tobacco farmers, including tobacco curing.

“Nzega District allocated us 469 hectares of land after we realised that Tabora Region, where we source most of our tobacco, faces significant forest destruction due to tree felling for tobacco curing, charcoal and firewood. We have since planted trees across five different blocks,” Mr Salum said.

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Mr Salum stated that this initiative is part of Alliance One’s ongoing strategy to plant trees in various tobacco-growing areas.

He highlighted that their efforts began in 2014 under a joint forest management initiative in Kasulu, Kigoma Region, where they planted millions of trees across a total of 450 hectares.

He further mentioned that AOTL entered into a memorandum of understanding with Nzega District Council to start a tree-planting project, with an ownership structure of 80 per cent by the company and 20 per cent by the council.

On his part, Mr Godfrey Mnzava, the leader of this year’s Uhuru Torch delegation, emphasised that for tobacco farming to be sustainable, it must be accompanied by tree planting for use in curing tobacco leaves.

He urged all tobacco companies in the country to follow Alliance One’s example in restoring the planet’s greenery.

Mr Mnzava also called on both tobacco and non-tobacco farmers across the country to continue planting trees and actively contribute to the protection of existing forests by refraining from harmful activities.

On her part, Ms Maria Katema, the Nkiniziwa Ward Executive Officer and representative of the Executive Director of Nzega District Council, noted that the introduction of the tree farm in their area will significantly restore the forest cover, which had been destroyed by human activities in the district.

Ms Katema explained that the land in her ward, given to AOTL for tree planting, was once a large forest but was gradually destroyed by activities such as charcoal production, wood harvesting for tobacco curing, farming and grazing, putting the area at risk of becoming a desert.

“In addition to gaining access to this forest for various uses after seven years, the project has also brought benefits such as employment for over 300 people from different areas of the ward, who are now involved in cleaning, weeding and taking care of the trees,” Katema said.

A local villager, Mzee Joseph Mshine, praised the company for establishing the forest farm in their area, which had lost its natural vegetation due to environmental degradation.

He encouraged fellow residents to avoid bringing livestock into the young forest and urged the company to expand tree planting efforts to more villages within the district.