Tobacco Farmers Threaten Govt

Source from:  thezimbabwean.co.uk HARARE 05/24/2007

Tobacco farmers are threatening to withhold their produce because of the long-standing row over the price of the golden leaf at the auction floors. The standoff has been worsened by government's recent controversial decision to scrap the 15% foreign currency retainer fee for tobacco farmers. Tobacco farmers told The Zimbabwean that consultations were already underway to market their product outside the country. "We can't take it any more. If one considers the amount of effort and cost we put into farming tobacco, it becomes a mere insult to be tossed around as government is doing to us now," Gibson Huni, of Centenary said. Indigenous Commercial Farmers Union managing director, Lovegot Tendengu, also bemoaned the decision by government to scrap the 15% foreign currency facility, saying it was the only incentive motivating farmers to grow tobacco. Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono, who has become very unpopular with tobacco farmers, has blamed them for holding the nation to ransom. Sources at the central bank say the national foreign currency reserves are at an all- time low, hence the decision to scrap the forex facility for farmers. "He can go and hang. How can he blame us for demanding demanding prices that are in line with the costs we have incurred? If they insist on this bigotry, we shall have no option but take our tobacco elsewhere," Huni said. Enditem