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Tobacco should be hundred percent free of any foreign material. Non-tobacco related materials (NTRM) are of great concern as, if found, they have the capacity to destroy Zimbabwe’s entire tobacco industry. NTRM is anything that is not tobacco such as plastic, feathers, fur, egg shells, sand, metals among other items that can be found in graded and baled tobacco.Zimbabwe prides in its well sort after unique flavour tobacco, which unlike in other countries has been sold to the very last kilogram every season for so many years, which is a commendable feat.

After 62 days of marketing, Zimbabwean tobacco farmers have earned $454 million from 154,7million kilogrammes of tobacco sold at an average price of $2,93 per kg.

As the season draws to the close, farmers should continue being meticulous and not get weary in ensuring that non-tobacco related material does not find its way into the bales.

For instance, if a strand of wire finds its way into the bale and ultimately to the processing plant, it has the potential to spin out of the machine and injure machine operators or it can break delicate parts of machines which are only meant to thresh tobacco and not handle hard materials, resulting in unnecessary down-time and huge losses.

If someone finds a piece of plastic or anything that is not tobacco in a cigarette, they can sue the manufacturer of that cigarette as plastic if smoked, can cause cancer. Tobacco is traceable and international buyers having incurred huge amounts in law suits would not be interested in trading with Zimbabwe, thereby negatively impacting on our reputation as a country.

Tobacco should be hundred percent free of any foreign material.

NTRM, unlike nesting which is deliberate hiding of inferior tobacco or non-tobacco related materials such as rocks in a bid to deceive buyers and to increase bale weight, NTRM usually is accidental and happens because a farmer has not taken due diligence during plucking, transferring, curing, grading or bailing.

As a result, it is important for farmers to control weeds proliferation until the end of the harvest as doing this assures greater productivity, better quality as well as reduces foreign material.

Fields should be kept free from synthetic and non-biodegradable wastes such as plastics and rubber materials and this can be done by ensuring that no garbage is disposed near fields as wind can carry such materials into the field.

Farmers should not use plastic materials in transporting tobacco from the field, packing it or storing tobacco as these contaminate the tobacco leaf.

Due to time constraints, some people have working teas or lunches, a habit which is informed by our cultural heritage as evidenced by idioms which praise hyenas for eating while moving and belittles leopards for doing the opposite.

In the tobacco industry, eating whilst working in tobacco grading shade or baling areas is an outright no, as foreign matter can end up in the tobacco.

Graders should also not use fluffy wrappers or mats in the grading shades as this material easily comes off and can stick onto the tobacco.

A farmer and his dog among other pets are very good friends and are usually inseparable, however, in grading shades, fowls and domestic animals should not be allowed to enter so as to ensure that feathers, furs and waste matter is not introduced in the tobacco.

It is important that no foreign matter is in any bale of tobacco thus only clean tobacco should be offered for sale.

“Clean” means completely free of floor sweepings, grading tickets, pieces of string, plastic, grass, fur, newspapers and any other foreign matter.

Care should be taken to remove any hessian fluff from graded tobacco.

The use of polythene and plastic products is definitely not recommended in tobacco handling.

Bales found before sale to contain any foreign matter will be closed up and not sold in order to protect the industry and the reputation of the country.

For additional Information contact

TIMB at429 Gleneagles Road, Southerton, Harare or write to us on P.O. Box 10214, Harare or on telephone numbers 0772145166/ 9 or 0279-22082/ 21982 or 025-3439 or 067-24268/ 29246 or 0277-2700 or 064-7280 or 0271-6772 or Toll Free Number 0731999999 or E-mail: [email protected]