Cyclone Idai hits 2019 tobacco output

THE output for this year’s tobacco marketing season is projected to decline due to the damage of the crop and the barns by the deadly Cyclone Idai.

The natural disaster, which recently struck most parts of Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces, left a trail of destruction in the affected areas.

Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) chief executive officer, Dr Andrew Matibiri, said an assessment was still underway to establish the level of destruction of tobacco fields. 

“A lot of farmers in Manicaland and parts of Mashonaland East were affected as they lost some of the crop in the field and also close to about 550 barns collapsed,” he said in an interview. 

“As a result of the adverse effects of the calamity, there is going to be a significant decline of tobacco output this year. We are yet to account how much we are likely to lose as a result of the disaster.”

Dr Matibiri said they were also yet to come up with this year’s projected output as the statistics were still being compiled. Zimbabwe, which is the biggest exporter of flue-cured tobacco around the world, last year eclipsed the previous record of 236, 9 million kilogrammes in 2000 to 253 million kg. This year’s tobacco selling season was opened by Vice President Kembo Mohadi last Wednesday who called for the industry to respect and reward the efforts being made by farmers to produce the lucrative crop. The VP led the opening procession, which saw the best quality fetching US$4.50 a kg.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement last week, TIMB and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said payment measures have been put in place to ensure tobacco growers selling their tobacco during the 2019 marketing season were paid within the shortest possible time. The tobacco sale proceeds shall be deposited into the growers’ RTGS$ bank accounts and Nostro FCA bank accounts.

“Tobacco growers shall be paid 50 percent, after deduction of the US dollar loans, in United States dollars, and the proceeds shall be deposited in the grower’s Nostro FCA bank accounts. 

“The balance of 50 percent of the net sale proceeds shall be credited into the grower RTGS$ bank account,” reads the statement.