Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board has cracked the whip, and so far arrested 77 tobacco growers on allegations of side-marketing offences, while 110 grower numbers were blocked to promote orderly sale of the golden leaf.
The 70 farmers have been arrested and fined for selling contracted tobacco to merchants who did not sponsor them while seven merchants were arrested for buying tobacco they did not sponsor.
Nine grower numbers, which were being exploited by some merchants to carry out their illegal activities were blocked, while 99 grower number were blocked for evading delivering tobacco through their contractors.
TIMB spokesperson, Mrs Chelesani Moyo-Tsarwe said they are vigilantly monitoring the marketing season activities.
She said side-marketing has serious impact on the farmers, contractors and the entire tobacco value chain.
“As of now, there have been a total of 77 arrests related to side-marketing, involving 70 farmers and seven merchants, all of whom have paid penalties and fines. The total number of blocked growers is 110, consisting of 99 growers and nine who were blocked due to being exploited by merchants. These growers were found to have evaded delivering tobacco through their contractors illegally.
“Strategies to combat side-marketing involve the ongoing awareness campaigns utilising all social media platforms. TIMB has also distributed side-marketing awareness posters across all selling points. The impacts of side-marketing are significant, it disrupts tobacco business continuity, damages investments in the tobacco sector, worsen farmers cycle of poverty by disrupting livelihoods and the sustainability of the tobacco industry. Furthermore, it harms the national economy by affecting revenue generation when farmers evade the auction system,” said Mrs Tsarwe.
Tobacco Farmers Union Trust president, Mr Victor Mariranyika called upon farmers to avoid entertaining middlemen whom he said want to reap where they did not sow.
He implored farmers to respect their contracts and deliver their tobacco to merchants who supported them with inputs.
“As farmer organisations, we fully support efforts by Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board to weed out malpractices in the tobacco industry.
Side-marketing has negative effects to the industry. We do not support criminal behaviour and the abuse of grower numbers.
“Side-marketing actually makes a farmer lose the actual value for their crop. We should promote the proper and legal marketing of tobacco so that the farmers realise the real value of their crop. All the illegal merchants must be flushed out. There are no middlemen who pay more than an auction floor. Farmers must not be hoodwinked by fraudsters who want to benefit at the expense of their hard work and sweat. Farmers as matter of principle, must honour their contracts with registered merchants who sponsored and supported them to produce the crop.
“By welcoming strangers at their plots to buy contracted tobacco, farmers will be exposing themselves to robbers. We have had previous cases where middlemen visit plots in the afternoon to buy tobacco and the farmers getting robbed of the cash in the evening,” said Mr Mariranyika.
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