Elita Chikwati Senior Agriculture Reporter
Farmers have collectively earned $416 million from the sale of over 144 million kilogrammes of flue cured tobacco so far this marketing season. Over 200 million kilogrammes of the golden leaf are expected this season.The sales have increased by 13 percent from the 127 million kilogrammes worth $370 million sold during the corresponding period last year. Latest statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show that farmers in Burma Valley have also sold 11 105 kilogrammes of cigar wrapper tobacco worth $28 000.
The TIMB says 117 million kilogrammes of flue cured tobacco worth $338 million were sold on the contract floors while 27 million kilogrammes went through the auction system. Communal farmers continue to dominate the sector with 13 million kilogrammes sold at the auction floors, while 39, 2 million kilogrammes were sold on the contract floors. Small-scale farmers have sold 1,5 million kilogrammes through the auction and 10,5 million kilogrammes through contract floors, while A2 have sold 2,6 million kilogrammes at the auction floor and 31,6 million kilogrammes on the contract floors.
However farmers have complained over challenges in accessing cash and called on the TIMB to quickly decentralise 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 recently said it was identifying concentrations by districts as well as operations by contractors in the districts to determine suitable sites and infrastructure required for decentralisation.
The TIMB has so far licensed Karoi and Mvurwi Mashonaland Tobacco Company floors for farmers to sell their crop nearer to their farms.