Zimbabwe: TIMB Embarks on Mobile Registration Exercise

Source from:  AllAfrica.com 09/25/2010

Harare - The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board has embarked on a mobile growers registration ahead of the October 31 deadline. This will assist farmers who have failed to register at the TIMB officers in Harare. In a notice to the farmers, no farmer would be issued with a grower's number after the deadline. Farmers should complete registration forms stamped and signed by the grower's local Agritex officer. This is to confirm that the grower is a tobacco farmer. Also required for the registration is the proof such as confirmation letter from a councillor or traditional leadership, national identity cards or a certified copy of the identity card. Both new and old growers will pay a registration fee of US$10 in terms of Section 26 of the Tobacco Marketing Levy Act. The TIMB has registered more than 53 000 farmers for the forthcoming season. Meanwhile, tobacco growers have started transplanting irrigated tobacco seedlings as they intensify preparations for the forthcoming tobacco season. According to the Agritex Weekly Report, farmers in most parts of Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West provinces have stepped up their activities. Farmers in other provinces are still preparing their fields. The farmers are also receiving five grammes of gum tree seed for every purchase of tobacco seed. Growers are being encouraged to grow at least 0,3 hectares of gum trees. Enditem