adminElita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Tobacco growers are concerned about the delays by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board in disbursing the $7 million collected as tobacco levy during the 2015 selling season.
The farmers complained that they complied with the law but the TIMB was taking long to update them on the progress of the funds.
With effect from January 1, 2015, the government re-introduced a 1,5 percent tobacco levy on sales by growers last year to finance re-forestation activities.
The tobacco levy was scrapped in March 2005 to encourage smallholder farmers to produce the crop.
Since January 2015, TIMB charged the levy on tobacco growers at a rate of $0,015 of each dollar of the selling price.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president, Wonder Chabikwa said unions had made plans to utilise the funds and were waiting for the disbursement.
“We were told that the funds could be used for afforestation activities. There is need to train farmers and plant trees to curb deforestation.
“Soon we will be going into another marketing season where farmers will have their money deducted towards the levy and they won’t understand it,” he said
Chabikwa said growers suspected that the funds could have been diverted and channelled towards other things other than benefiting the farmers.
Tobacco Industry Development Support Institute executive director, Jeffrey Takawira said it was important that the government sticks to its promises so that farmers can build trust around the institutions that it creates.
“TIMB should channel the funds towards the purposes without fail so that farmers don’t resist developmental programmes in future,” he said.
Tobacco farmer, Runesu Chipato of Guruve said it was important that the money be used to move coal from Hwange to tobacco areas to reduce the cutting down trees for curing.
“Every year, farmers cut a lot of trees for curing. It would be good if the tobacco levy is used to secure alternative fuel for curing to reduce deforestation,’ he said.
TIMB public relations manager, Isheunesu Munyoro said the funds were available but the board could only start disbursing it after a directive from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
“We are still waiting for a government directive to disburse the funds,” he said.
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