Tobacco Farmers to Start Getting Inputs Next Month

Source from:  herald.co.zw Business Reporter 05/21/2008

THE Tobacco Industry Marketing Board will start disbursing inputs for the 2008/2009 season beginning next month, TIMB's acting chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri has said. "We have a bit of everything fertilizers and chemicals but I am not at liberty to disclose figures at the moment," he said. TIMB intends to disburse the inputs as farmers deliver and sell their tobacco at the auction floors. The board has been assisting 7 000 small-scale tobacco farmers with inputs over the past few years. Last season it managed to secure and distribute 3 000 kg Temik, 1 500 litres of Acepahte and 3 465 litres of Chlorpyriphos, bought with the $40 billion received under the Agriculture Sector Productivity Enhance-ment Facility (ASPEF). It has a shortfall of 6 000 tonnes basal fertilizer, 1 000 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate, 17 866 litres of Fenvelerate, 5 400 litres of Monocrotophos, 5 400 litres of Tamaron, 60 000 litres of Sukerkill and 4 500 of Tabamex/Accotab under its input scheme. This prompted it to take a decision to go onto the market to raise $2 trillion for its credit facility, a move that fell through after it was overtaken by events. Enditem