Zimbabwe: New Tobacco Floor to Ease Congestion

Source from:  The Herald 05/04/2011

PERRENIAL congestion at the tobacco auction floors is expected to ease further, as another auction floor is set to open in the next few weeks. Sources at the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board said Premier Tobacco Auction had applied for a licence which was still being considered. It will become the fourth auction floor operating in the country after Boka Tobacco Auction, Tobacco Sales Floor and Millennium. "The TIMB has made some initial inspections and has advised of areas that need to be worked on before the licence is granted," said one source. "Once they meet our minimum requirements, I am sure we will give them an operating licence. Our initial inspection has shown that they can sell about 2 000 bales of tobacco at every sale." It is understood the auction floor, located in the Willowvale industrial area in Harare, is owned by individuals and some small companies TIMB chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri confirmed the development yesterday. "We got their application last week and we are looking at it," he said. Tobacco growers have been spending days at the auction floors without being served due to congestion. Last month, the TIMB temporarily suspended new deliveries and bookings to clear the huge backlog in deliveries. Last week, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made challenged businesspeople to take advantage of opportunities in the local and global tobacco marketing and apply for licences to open more floors. "Tobacco has become the anchor crop of the economy. So, we need at least 10 more floors to allow farmers to get prompt services and avoid losses from unforeseeable disasters, such as the rains," he said. Recently, some farmers had their tobacco drenched by rains while waiting to deliver their crop at TSF after the company closed its doors for the Easter holiday. This year's tobacco output is now expected to reach 200 million kg, compared with 170 million kg previously projected. Tobacco is set to be the major contributor to the overall agriculture growth. Enditem