Message-ID: <9503037969.AA796921691@lancelot.rtptok.epa.gov> Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 07:56:22 EST From: mailto:GOOZNER.ALAN@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV> Subject: Foreign Aid Priorities To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L
It is interesting to note that my response to an inquiry
about the potential for American farm machinery marketing in
the developing world brought discussion on the evils of
tobacco and the taboo of having any development project
propose the development of this industry. The fact is for
Zambia, tobacco is the most labor intensive and most value
added industry that this country has - more so than the
copper industry. Tobacco provides jobs and cash wages. It
brings in badly needed foreign exchange to purchase the
needed farm machinery and other agricultural inputs to
produce food crops as well. Especially with the cost of
transport for any export out of a land-locked country so
high, tobacco has one of the greatest potentials for
economic development.
Tobacco is hardly a major cause of death among Africans
where in a country like Zambia the average life expectancy
is still below age 40. Most of the production is exported
with the Asian market being in close proximity having the
greatest potential for expanded sales. (All you have to do
is walk through the smoke cloud at the airport in Bombay to
see what I mean).
The problem with the Western view to development is
that it beings the worst of the white man's morality. The
typical consultant off the plane assumes that the problems
of his society (smoking, unprotected sex, etc.) are also the
problems of the society s/he endeavors to assist. In Zambia
with vast tracts of uncultivated land and low population
density out in the country, limiting population expansion is
also limiting their potential for an expanded market economy
with a large enough body of consumers to support basic
industries. Otherwise, the people in the cities are captive
to relying on imports for most of their everyday living
items.
The reason I use Zambia as an example is that I worked
there for 3 years as a statistician. Most of the
development projects have some sort of hidden agenda of
foreign policy implementation for the donor nation. This
type of corrupt help only transfers the worst aspects of
what we have to offer including abuse of power in government
and inappropriate use of resources.