• March 28, 2024

Drought forces marketing delay

 Drought forces marketing delay

Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has deferred the 2016 marketing season of the crop to a date to be announced, reports The Chronicle.

Traditionally, Zimbabwe’s tobacco selling season begins in February. Last year, the tobacco selling season began on March 4 due to similar reasons.

TIMB chief executive officer Andrew Matibiri said the late planting was due to late rains.

“We’re still waiting for the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development to approve the date the tobacco marketing season for this year should begin.

“Because the planting season started late due to late rains the country received, this year’s tobacco selling season has been delayed and we’re optimistic that the selling season will not start anytime this month,” said Matibiri.

He said at the moment a majority of the tobacco crop was in the fields.

Statistics from TIMB show that 92,160 hectares had been put under tobacco as at Jan. 22, 2016.

The figure compares negatively to 107,546 ha recorded during the same period last season.