Zimbabwe: Flue-Cured Tobacco Selling Season Nears Close

Source from:  The Herald (Harare) 15 September 2008 09/16/2008

The current flue-cured tobacco selling season is coming to a close with just over half of the expected crop having been delivered to the auction floors. Tobacco sales at 43 million kg are slightly above half of the 77 million kg expected to be delivered to the floors this season. The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board settled for Friday September 26 as the last day of the selling season when it met on Wednesday. Final deliveries for the season were expected to be made on Thursday September 25 2008. "All growers are advised to complete their grading and baling operations by Monday 22nd September 2008 at the very latest. "If delivery volumes are high sales may be continued beyond the final date. Dates of clean-up/mop-up sales, if necessary, will be announced in due course," said TIMB's acting chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri. Some farmers interviewed said the selling season was likely to go beyond the official closing date as some farmers were still battling to prepare their crop. "There is a significant amount of tobacco that is still being cured because there has been problems with the procurement of coal. "We are also faced with high diesel and transport costs which also have a bearing on our operations," said a grower. The last tobacco-selling season had to be extended by three months after deliveries continued to increase after the last day of the season. Dr Matibiri said sales of defective bales would be conducted between September 24 and 26. To this end, he said mouldy bales would be sold from Wednesday 24th September 2008 with all defective bales being declared for the defect prior to sales. "The existing booking-in system will continue unaltered and shall include sales of mouldy bales. "Late deliveries will need to be booked into the system before sale to ensure that they are subjected to the Stop Order System," he added. He warned farmers that it was illegal to hold on to their tobacco to the next season without a special permit. Indications are that many farmers are still to deliver their crop, hoping to fetch higher prices while others have faced challenges such as transport. Cases of smuggling of tobacco to neighbouring countries have also been reported, prejudicing the country of large sums of foreign currency. "All tobacco growers are reminded that in terms of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board Act any person who has in their possession or under their control tobacco which remains unsold after 15th December 2008 must apply for a permit to hold that tobacco," he said. Enditem