ZIMBABWE
Tobacco farmers have made US$416 million from the sale of over 144 million kilograms (m.kg) of flue cured tobacco so far this marketing season. Over 200m.kg of the golden leaf are expected this season. Sales have increased by 13% from the 127m.kg worth US$370 million sold during the same period last year.
According to statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), 117m.kg of flue cured tobacco worth US$338 million were sold on the contract floors while 27m.kg went through the auction system. Communal farmers continue to dominate the sector with 13m.kg sold at the auction floors, while 39.2m.kg were sold on the contract floors. Small-scale farmers have sold 1.5m.kg through the auction and 10.5m.kg through contract floors, while A2 have sold 2.6m.kg at the auction floor and 31.6m.kg on the contract floors.
Despite the increase in sales, farmers have complained over challenges in accessing cash and called on the TIMB to quickly decentralize the auction floors. Farmers have been urged to embrace the use of plastic money to avoid spending many unproductive days at the auction floors waiting to withdraw all their money from banks.
TIMB has said it was identifying concentrations by districts as well as operations by contractors in the districts to determine suitable sites and infrastructure required for decentralization. So far Karoi and Mvurwi Mashonaland Tobacco Company floors have been licensed for farmers to sell their crop nearer to their farms.