High 2023 tobacco bale rejections a cause of conce...

High 2023 tobacco bale rejections a cause of concern for associations

Zim Now Writer

Tobacco Farmers Union Trust president Victor Mariranyika says there is need to avail information that helps farmers understand the breakdown of tobacco bale rejections.

This comes after reports that at 60.78%, the rejection level at the auction floors was this year higher compared to 2022.

Mariranyika asserts bale rejection is subjective and can be abused.

“At auction floor, there seems to be a syndicate that is using false allegations, a scam that is meant to siphon money from vulnerable farmers. Farmers need a clear breakdown of rejection categories to be sure rejections are valid,” he said.

TIMB data shows that rejection rates are generally low at contract sales due to contractors’ ability to buy sub-standard bales.

TIMB public affairs officer Chelesani Tsarwe said farmers should focus more on tobacco presentation on the auction floors.

“Tobacco presentation issues, wet or too dry, mixed hands, moldy tobacco, or they are underweight or overweight or contain non-tobacco-related material like stones and wood account for 97 percent of the rejected tobacco, and the balance is for pricing issues.

“To prevent bales from getting rejected, farmers should focus more on grading and presentation from TIMB, contracting companies or Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services agricultural extension officers who are in all tobacco-growing regions,” Tsarwe said.

Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association chairman George Seremwe said the high rejection rate is a cause for concern.

“We do not rule out the inside job of middlemen who collude with buyers to reject certain bales for them to be able to re-handle. Re-handling charges can be the driving force behind this menace, and this needs to be investigated thoroughly,” he said.

Tobacco Farmers Union Trust vice president Edward Dune cited the difficulties faced by farmers in curing good quality leaf which leads some farmers to mix hands and moldy leaf.