Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation

The Farmers Development Trust held a tobacco growers forum to enlighten small-scale Tobacco farmers on the importance of adhering to Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board regulations, in an effort to curb the perennial challenges that farmers face at the auction floors.

Tobacco farmers have hailed the prevailing prices at the auction floors which they say are favourable, but have called on the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) to ensure that Class B buyers do not emerge this season as they distort prices.

The tobacco marketing season has been officially opened this Wednesday with government calling for an improvement in services as well as fair pricing for the crop so as to benefit the farmer.

A call has been made for government to prioritise and promote rainwater harvesting projects on a national scale as a climate change mitigation and adaptation measure.

Tobacco farmers will start delivering their crop to auction floors this weekend with expectations high that favourable prices will characterise this marketing season since traditional producing nations such as Brazil and the US have been affected by floods.

The Zimbabwe Farmers Union has cast a gloomy outlook on wheat production in the forthcoming winter wheat cropping season saying several farmers are yet to be paid for deliveries made to the GMB last year.

Preparations for the commencement of the tobacco marketing season on the 15th of this month have intensified, with all the four floors putting final touches to meet the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board ‘s (TIMB) set standards for them to operate.

Agritex reports that it has contained army worm invasions in Centenary and Muzarabani areas which were threatening to destroy over 30 hectares of pastures and almost 10 hectares of small grain under cultivation.