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Edgar Vhera

IN line with the push to uphold the proper corporate governance practices, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has developed a client service charter that will guide all stakeholders in the tobacco value chain on standards they are expected to maintain to allow the sector to be productive.

All stakeholders are expected to have reviewed it by August 28.

In a letter addressed to all stakeholders on Thursday, TIMB public affairs officer Mrs Chelesani Tsarwe said they came up with the guide to bring sanity in the tobacco industry.

“In adherence to corporate governance standards, TIMB has developed a client service charter. The charter gives written promises outlining the standards that TIMB intends to uphold when dealing with clients and stakeholders. It acts as a guide to both TIMB staff and customers and spells out the roles expected from either parties when conducting business. In this regard, we are kindly asking for a review of the charter and the inputs should be received by August 28,” she said.

The charter informs the stakeholders on who TIMB is and what’s expected of them, their vision, mission, values, clients, stakeholders, products and services.

It also contains a customer value proposition, which is anchored on a fast and efficient processing system, honesty and good customer relations, effective communication, striving for fair value for all tobacco sold and world class amenities for improved customer satisfaction.

The charter obligates TIMB with ensuring that its services meet stakeholder requirements through pursuit of excellence in providing prompt and efficient service to customers by warranting fair and orderly marketing of tobacco, providing reliable tobacco production and marketing information timeously, promptly attending to wants without regard to gender, race, creed, age or disability and timeous execution of duties to satisfaction.

TIMB also promises to humbly welcome and attend to stakeholders when they pay a visit physically within 10 minutes using the three main languages of Shona, Ndebele and English.

The same courtesy will be extended to all stakeholders whether through a phone call or via e-mail.

This development is sweet news to farmers who, over the years, have been complaining that they were getting a raw deal from some contractors at marketing time when huge sums of money would be deducted without their knowledge thereby impoverishing them and keeping them under debt trap.

Some farmers claim that they initially make verbal arrangements with contractors to secure inputs with written contracts coming later in the season. Others say they sign written contracts without input prices with high costs only disclosed at marketing time. Still, others claim they that there is no insurance clause in the contracts but insurance fees will be deducted at produce marketing.

Some growers cite issues of delays in getting the inputs, which compromises the quality and value of the crop and subsequently, their capacity to repay the loans. Still others claim that they are not given complete input packages yet contractors want their dues at marketing time. Other farmers claim that they are charged very high bale rehandling costs. These are some of the concerns raised by growers in past seasons, hence the feedback from stakeholders must help eradicate these grey areas in the next season.