Zimbabwe: TIMB Disburses Fertilizer, Chemicals Under Scheme

Source from:  The Herald 01/19/2010

THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board has disbursed a total of 1 620 tonnes of Compound C fertilizer under its 2009/2010 Tobacco Input Credit Scheme. In addition, TIMB has also disbursed chemicals worth US$69 822 under the scheme, which is meant to support small-scale and communal farmers. The inputs were disbursed to 2 148 approved applicants from 2 167 applicants who were drawn from Mashonaland East, West, Central and Manicaland. The farmers are expected to plant 4 001 hectares of tobacco. Apart from the 2 1 48 flue-cured tobacco farmers benefiting from the scheme, about 67 oriental and 80 burley growers, mostly from Mvurwi and Mt Darwin areas, are also benefiting from the scheme. According to a report produced by TIMB, Mashonaland West received the bulk of the 1 620 tonnes of Compound C amounting to 735 tonnes followed by Mashonaland Central which got 615 tonnes. Mashonaland East received 150 tonnes of Compound C and Manicaland got the balance of 120 tonnes. The 1 620 tonnes was part of the 1 850 tonnes that TIMB has received so far against a total requirement of 2 000 tonnes. According to the report, the 230 tonnes that remains from the 1 850 tonnes received together with the 150 tonnes yet to be received, which makes a combined of 380 tonnes, would be stored and sold to growers when the marketing season opens. In terms of chemicals, Mashonaland Central received the bulk of the chemicals worth US$27 924, followed by Mashonaland West with US$23 232, Mashonaland East with US$17 064 and Manicaland with US$1 632. Despite the availability of Compound C, TIMB indicated in the report that it is yet to receive top dressing fertilizer (ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, urea or lime ammonium nitrate). TIMB chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri last month indicated that there is a demand of about 400 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate in tobacco is usually applied at the rate of 100kg per hectare. The Input Credit Scheme is being financed from a US$2,3 million facility that TIMB secured with CBZ Bank for small-scale and communal tobacco growers. Dr Matibiri said they had so far accessed just under US$1 million of the US$2,3 million. Enditem