Zambia: Tobacco Board Extends Marketing Season

Source from:  Zambia Daily Mail  09/25/2015

In A bid to ensure maximum marketing of tobacco sales, the Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) has extended the closure of this year's marketing season from September 30 to October 31, 2015, to enable clearance of the unsold tobacco.

Last month, Independent tobacco farmers appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to help find buyers for their tobacco crop because it is not contracted by merchants and processors who guarantee a ready market.

According to a notice by TBZ, there is a lot of unsold tobacco still held by farmers and on the tobacco sales floors.

"We wish to officially notify all the tobacco growers and stakeholders in the industry that the closure of the 2014/15 marketing season has been extended from September 30 to October 31, 2015. This is to allow for clearance of the unsold tobacco which is still with the farmers in various tobacco growing regions and on the tobacco sales floors," read the notice in part.

Recently, independent tobacco farmers disclosed that 90 per cent of the crop in Zambia is grown under contract which makes it difficult for non-contract farmers to find market for their commodity.

"The tobacco industry is driven by world demand and that international processors demand traceability of tobacco trading on international markets. Traceability requirements makes it difficult for local processors and merchants to trace tobacco produced [by independent farmers] outside contract farming," the farmers stated during a symposium attended by players in the tobacco value chain.

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda has since constituted a committee chaired by his deputy Greyford Moonde to come up with proposals on how government should deal with tobacco not covered by contracts. Enditem