The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
TENS of tobacco growers are still struggling to get their dues from tobacco buying companies for the high quality leaf sold during the just-ended marketing season — thereby weakening their financial muscle in the ensuing production season.
Some of the growers were never paid a cent.
This exposes how deep-seated corruption, duplicity and profiteering mentality have pervaded a sector where buyers should pay growers promptly.
This again shows the extent to which buyers connived to exploit stringent Covid-19 lockdown regulations that barred growers with less than 100 bales from accompanying them to the auction floors — to their advantage.
To add to the growers’ woes, the buyers allegedly altered the masses of tobacco bales to avoid forking out huge amounts.
Some buyers manipulated the growers’ numbers and banking details to frustrate them and delay payments.
The growers were also exposed to the “good crop and poor price” dilemma and ended up losing thousands of greenbacks, adventively forcing them out of the farming business.
Growers who spoke to The Manica Post were furious that while farming is a business where one expects a return on investment, their hopes have been extinguished after going for months unpaid.
Mrs Esnath Hera, who dragged Bergattal Tobacco to court, said they incurred huge losses and are sinking in debts.
“Our workers are demanding their outstanding dues, leaving growers in a quandary. We are being forced to sell cattle and other livestock to cover the ballooning debts.
“We are incurring huge losses travelling up and down to buyers’ offices. Instead of paying us, all we are getting are endless excuses. Government should come to the rescue of smallholder tobacco growers. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) should also be roped in to cleanse this sector. The tobacco sector has become the latest citadel of corruption in this country,” she said.
Tobacco Farmers’ Union Trust president, Mr Victor Mariranyika, said thousands of smallholder tobacco growers are worse off than they were in 2019 due to non-remittance of their dues by tobacco contracting firms.
“The union recently assisted 28 smallholder growers to process litigations against tobacco contracting companies which swindled them of their crop during the marketing period. They have not paid the farmers anything to date. Nine of the farmers have not received anything up to date, while the other 19 were either paid the local currency or US$ component, but not both as required by RBZ.
“There are thousands of smallholder growers who lost their crop through duplicity by these tobacco contracting companies, but due to poverty they do not have money to legally pursue these cases. It is very difficult. The civil court process is cumbersome and requires money,” said Mr Mariranyika.
He said they are getting little joy from the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB).
He said some growers, out of frustration, converted their tobacco fields back to maize and other crops.
“Some have failed to return to the fields, while others have abandoned growing tobacco altogether. The 2020 tobacco marketing season was a disaster for the smallholder grower. What does it mean when farmers are not paid three months after the closure of the marketing season? Worse still, the tobacco companies have engaged lawyers to fight the vulnerable farmers. Those who approached us are the most courageous ones. Thousands of their counterparts are suffering in silence. If tobacco buyers have over the years been accused of stealing in the presence of growers, how much more could they have stolen in their absence?” said Mr Mariranyika.
Outgoing TIMB chief executive officer, Dr Andrew Matibiri, said they had assisted a significant number of farmers to get their dues.
He urged growers to establish from the companies the exact reasons why they are still to pay their money.
“Growers must pursue the individual companies and have them explain why they are still holding on to their dues. Some farmers are saying they were paid US$, but did not get the local currency component and vice-versa. They should establish if it this was caused by the use of wrong banking details used by the companies or not,” he said.
Dr Matibiri added: “During the marketing season, some banks open temporary accounts which become dormant after the closure of the marketing season. What need to be established first is whether the companies deliberately chose not to pay the growers or it is the account details that need rectification.
“Once the growers are clear on why they have not been paid, we start from there. Case where the companies have not paid the growers anything must be brought to TIMB’s attention so that we deal directly with the said companies,” said Dr Matibiri.
Rusape-based lawyer, Mr Taurai Khupe, of Khupe Law Chambers, who is representing the tobacco companies, said it is subjudice to comment on cases pending before the courts.
