Board to Engage Tobacco Industry Stakeholders

Source from:  The Herald 03/26/2009

THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board is set to engage all stakeholders in the tobacco industry to ensure the smooth and efficient payment of farmers during the 2009-selling season that kicks off next month. TIMB board chairman, Mr Njodzi Machirori said they want a situation where farmers are paid at least one and a half-hours after they have sold their tobacco. This, he said, would enable farmers to manage their time as well as minimise the time they spend at the tobacco auction floors. "Imagine a situation where a farmers bring two bales of tobacco from Mt Darwin and they are made to wait for days for their payment. "That is simply cruel. We want farmers to get their payments soon after they have sold their tobacco so that they can be on their way back home soon after," he said. Mr Machirori said they do not want a recurrence of the situation that was witnessed last year when farmers were forced to resort to constructing makeshift homes outside the floors as they waited for days on end for their payments. The Zimbabwe Tobacco Auction Centre had to embark on the construction of additional ablution facilities at its floors as the existing infrastructure had failed to sustain the huge numbers of farmers that were coming through to sell their tobacco. The 2009 tobacco-selling season is expected to kick -off during the last week of next month. Tobacco Industry Marketing Board, which is responsible for tobacco sales, has proposed April 29 as the tentative date for the opening of the 2009 season. TIMB's acting chief executive, Dr Andrew Matibiri said the date is awaiting the requisite approval by the Minister of Agriculture. The TIMB has set a target of 42 million kg target which is slightly lower than the 47 million kg delivered last year. Enditem