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Due to anticipated congestion at the floors, an official from Tobacco Sales Floor, who preferred not to be named, said some commercial farmers were delivering their crop for storage before the start of the selling season. “We have started receiving some of the tobacco bales from commercial farmers. So far, we have more than 300 bales that we have stored.
“The number of tobacco growers has this year increased significantly, so those who are delivering their crop are anticipating congestion,” said the official.
The marketing season is scheduled to begin on 12 February.
Another official from Boka Auction Floors also confirmed that farmers had started delivering their crop ahead of the opening of the 2013 selling season.
“We are presently receiving deliveries from the farmers. However, I cannot ascertain the number of bales that we have received so far,” said the official.
The TIMB said only three auction floors would be operating this season, down from four last year.
The licensed floors include Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF), Boka Tobacco Auction Floor (BTAF) and Premier Tobacco Auction Floor (PTAF).
The other auction floor which was operating last season, Millennium Tobacco, has not met registration requirements.
Agronomist and tobacco expert Mr Thomas Nherera last week said a majority of the farmers were engaged in harvesting and curing of the crop.
TIMB has projected that 170 million kg of tobacco would go under the hammer this year after 77 910 hectares of land were put under the crop, reflecting a 38 percent increase from 56 377 hectares the previous season.
Last year, tobacco growers delivered 144 million kilogrammes of the golden leaf at the auction floors raking in more than $500 million.
Online Reporter