NEW: Tobacco farmers to receive payments within two days  

Online Reporter  

TOBACCO farmers will now be paid within two days after delivering their crop to auction floors, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has said.

Said TIMB in a statement on Friday: “This serves to notify all stakeholders that all tobacco growers are supposed to be paid within two days of completion of sales in accordance with Statutory Instrument (SI) 77 of 2022.

“Tobacco growers, if you are not paid within the said period, immediately report to TIMB.”

In the past, payment for deliveries could take several days to be processed, leaving farmers vulnerable to illegal buyers who offered them instant cash.

Government recently put in place regulations that criminalise tobacco side-marketing.

Any farmer who will be found on the wrong side of the law risk being jailed for a period not exceeding six months and or a fine.