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(HERALD, NEW ZANIA) Moves to decentralise tobacco auction floors hit brick wall

Moves to decentralise tobacco auction floors hit brick wall
New Ziana.

NO investors have expressed interest in building tobacco auction floors outside the capital, slowing down efforts to decentralise the crop’s marketing system, an official said on Friday.

Challenges hindering the smooth marketing of the "golden leaf" have largely been attributed to the current centralised auction system.

Both of the country’s auction floors are in Harare, a situation which has resulted in farmers scattered across the country incurring high transport costs ferrying their crop.

TIMB chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri told New Ziana that decentralising the tobacco floors required a huge capital outlay.

"We have not had any investor willing to put up auction floors outside Harare.
"If there is no money, there is little that we can do. All the floors in the country were built by private investors," he said.

Dr Matibiri said TIMB had since submitted an advisory report to Government on the feasibility of establishing more auction floors.

"By next year some aspects of the auction system would have been decentralised," he said.

TIMB has been opening up more registration offices countrywide to ensure that farmers easily register their crop ahead of the selling season, he said.

"We have been opening up offices outside Harare which will start operating in earnest next year. So far we have covered Rusape, Marondera, Mvurwi and Chinhoyi with plans underway to open more sub-offices. We want to be closer to the farmers," said Dr Matibiri.

Meanwhile, Dr Matibiri said the new cropping season was "going on very well", adding that farmers were buoyed by the various support schemes provided by a number of unions.

"The mood among growers is high, there are wide chances that output will surpass the 120 million kilogrammes realised last year," he said. — New Ziana.

Labels: ANDREW MATIBIRI, DECENTRALIZATION, TOBACCO

posted by MrK @ 1:01 PM