TOBACCO farmers will receive payment for their golden leaf within 30 minutes of concluding sales when the 2026 marketing season officially opens on Wednesday, in what Government has described as a major technological breakthrough for the sector.Export visibility services
Traditionally, farmers have had to endure delays in receiving their money, with some forced to spend nights at auction floors awaiting payment confirmation.
Although growers are legally required to be paid within two days under Statutory Instrument 77 of 2022, authorities and industry players have now embraced a fully integrated digital system that is expected to slash the turnaround time to just half an hour.
Speaking during a tour of the three licensed auction floors — Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF), Premier Tobacco Auction Floor (PTAF) and Ethical Sales Floor (ESF) — last Friday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said the sector was setting a new efficiency benchmark for agriculture.
“We are assessing the state of preparedness ahead of the official opening on Wednesday,” he said.
“We expect thousands of farmers to be in and out of the floors in a 24-hour period.
“The floors never close once the season begins — it is all systems go.”
Deputy Minister Haritatos described the 30-minute payment facility as “unheard of”, adding that other agricultural subsectors should emulate the tobacco industry’s technological transformation.
Under the upgraded system, a farmer’s tobacco is logged using a grower number instead of a name, which links directly to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) digital platform.
This allows regulators to track every bale delivered at any auction floor across the country in real time.
Once the tobacco is graded and auctioned, any dispute is resolved within minutes.
Upon acceptance of the sale, the farmer receives an electronic notification confirming that funds have been deposited into their bank account, all within 30 minutes.
“At the heart of this is technology. The less time farmers spend waiting unnecessarily, the better,” said Deputy Minister Haritatos.
With new regions joining tobacco production, he said, instant payments will encourage more farmers.
“This season we have seen crop adoption in traditionally dryer areas of Matabeleland. Having this flawless farmer payments means more farmers will certainly come on board,” he said.
TSF general manager Mr Kennedy Zimunya confirmed the development.
“Last year, we achieved payments within one hour. This year, we are targeting to improve that to 30 minutes,” he said.
Premier Tobacco Auction Floor (PTAF) chairman Mr Owen Murumbi said their systems had undergone inspection and
were fully compliant with regulatory requirements ahead of the season opening.
“As Premier, all our ducks are lined up. Our computers have been inspected and are compliant,” he said.
“We have secured 150 000 hessian bags and trucks to ferry tobacco from rural areas to ensure that farmers do not face logistical challenges when bringing their crop to the floors.”
Mr Murumbi said the floor was ready to handle high volumes efficiently, adding that improved systems would support faster processing and payment turnaround.
At Ethical Sales Floor (ESF), general manager Mr Taison Ngongoni said they had integrated their systems with several banks to guarantee smooth and timely payments.
“Our farmers are expected to get their payments in less than an hour. This floor can accommodate up to 7 000 bales at a time and we are almost 100 percent prepared,” he said.
He said technology upgrades would minimise congestion and enhance transparency during the marketing process.
Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) board chair Mr Patrick Devenish said the regulatory body had strengthened online monitoring system that is linked to all auction floors as well as the introduction of biometrics to curb side marketing and improve traceability.
“The online systems of these auction floors are linked to our system such that we can monitor from our end. For farmers we have introduced biometrics to prevent side marketing, which has made a significant difference,” he said.-herald
