THE 2020 tobacco marketing season opens tomorrow, ending weeks of anxiety for farmers and other stakeholders.

It will be a different ball game altogether this time around as the market is coming to the growers and not vice-versa because of the coronavirus outbreak which is wreaking havoc across the globe.

The opening of the tobacco marketing was delayed as the Government and other stakeholders sought ways to ensure the safety of people involved in the programme was guaranteed.

And indeed, a raft of measures was agreed on, with the most outstanding being the decentralisation of the traditional floors to various tobacco-growing areas.

This move was adopted to make sure the process was done in the shortest possible time and with the least possible numbers of people in attendance to cut on possible chances of spreading the virus among those transacting.

It is also encouraging that among the measures is a clause stating that any auction floor that strays from the regulations will be closed with immediate effect, which on its own is deterrent enough.

The decision by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) to conduct awareness campaigns on the dangers of the virus at the floors and roll out numerous preventive measures is noble and should be maintained well into the future even after Covid-19.

Who knows, there might be other disease outbreaks that require concerted efforts like what is happening to contain Covid-19.

Farmers and other stakeholders in the industry need to know that it is crucial to maintain their personal hygiene and keep their environment safe from contamination.

It is refreshing to note that no vending will be allowed, with numbers of people entering the floors being regulated.

This means there will be less chances of people buying potentially unsafe or contaminated food, which reduces chances of other disease outbreaks.

The fact that there will also be no banking facilities at the floors will bring security to the farmers some of whom have been losing their incomes to thieves and other unscrupulous elements of the society.

It is good that the Government has banned beer sales to foster discipline among farmers.

Registered shops selling inputs will be available at the floors too, which will make it easier for the Government and other stakeholders to monitor prices.

The arrangement is also bringing with it an orderly way of doing business, as farmers will have to make a booking before coming to the floors while transporters will be required to follow set guidelines.

Transporters will be licensed and issued with permits and passes to enable them to bring the golden leaf in a manner that does not compromise the safety of both the farmer and the produce.

In the past we have had cases of rogue transporters that bring farmers to the floors and just dump them rushing to collect more tobacco, leaving the tobacco at the mercy of elements.

Many farmers have lost significant tonnages of tobacco to rains, thieves and other challenges.

Decentralising floors also means farmers are cutting costs significantly as they used to fork out quite big amounts of money to have their produce ferried to the market with transporters quoting their fees per bale.

The new system which requires the farmer to conclude business within a day also means the farmer will not spend much on subsistence.

Farmers, both inside and outside the floors waiting or doing their business will not be allowed to form big groups, which will curtail the spread of Covid-19 while the mandatory wearing of masks for all people at the floors is a very noble idea that will nip potential infections in the bud.

The introduction of foot baths and regular disinfecting of the premises and the people there is also a plus in the maintenance of an environment less hazardous to farmers and their trading partners.

Additionally, the decision not to allow farmers to sleep over at the floors will also reduce chances of spreading the virus as people will conduct their business during day and return to their homes.

It seems the coronavirus outbreak will also leave people with a wealth of knowledge on better ways of doing things outside their regular routines.

That knowledge must not just be used way into the future but ought to be fine-tuned for the betterment of humanity, as most of it is currently being used on a trial and error basis because of the Covid-19 crisis.

The infrastructure that will be used in the process will need maintenance and must not be left to dereliction once the Covid-19 threat is over and people revert to old ways of doing business.

Covid-19 has forced people out of their comfort zones to try out new ways of doing things, which they used to think were probably impossible and unorthodox.

Coronavirus has enabled the tobacco industry to break traditions that have been largely blamed for some of the problems threatening the viability of the industry, hence the need for stakeholders to uphold some or even most of the temporary solutions being crafted now and use them permanently into the future.