• March 29, 2024

Tobacco buyers told to pay on time

 Tobacco buyers told to pay on time

Tobacco companies risk losing their licenses if they fail to pay farmers on time, the Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) has warned, according to a story in the Zambia Daily Mail.

Recently, the Minister of Agriculture, Given Lubinda, issued a warning to these companies that the government ‘would not take kindly’ to a repeat of the poor tobacco marketing arrangements of last year.

TBZ recently held a stakeholders’ meeting where it was agreed that all farmers who sold their tobacco to licensed merchants would be paid within 3-10 days after delivery.

“If merchants do not pay on time, they compromise their future in the country and if they do not own up to the agreement of paying within three to 10 days, they risk losing their licenses,” TBZ chairperson Samson Muyembe said in an interview.

The TBZ has said that it will carry out checks to ensure that farmers who supply tobacco to buyers are paid on time.