Tobacco farmers should be aware of thieves and prostitutes

Following the announcement by Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) that tobacco auction floors will open doors on 15 March 2017, pick pocketers and sex workers have obviously started rehearsing, perfecting old and new tricks of their trade in preparation to welcome tobacco farmers, especially new comers in the tobacco industry.

Year in year out, unsuspecting tobacco farmers, both new and seasoned, have fallen pray to these predators and have lost their hard earned cash as well as valuables worth thousands of dollars.

Many have turned to life of crime to survive due to the sanctioned-induced economic hardships and the tobacco farmer has unfortunately been one of the major targets due to large sums of money involved in the golden leaf transactions. Muggings, bag snatching, car jacking and pick pocketing occur frequently, particularly at the auction floors and in the Central Business District (CBD) where farmers do their shopping.

At times one is tempted to suspect that these merciless thugs use juju to fleece these farmers as some are repeatedly conned using same old tricks, or is it because they are so creative and sweet tongued that the prey becomes confused, weak and stop thinking?

It is, therefore, important that farmers always be vigilant wherever they are. If possible, they should move in pairs or more and always secure their luggage particularly in public places like the auction floors and bus stations, making sure that there is someone looking after their goods. Their motto should always be 'never attend to a stranger regardless of the nature of their problem or offer, whether male or female.'

It may seem hard to do constantly, but know your surroundings and keep an eye for anyone lurking and always use public transport to avoid robberies. There is need therefore for Police and Auction floors to beef up security measures to deal with perpetrators. Some of the thieves operate in groups and have become desperate to the extent of targeting churches setting their eyes on the tithes and offerings collected.

 Prostitutes have also not spared the farmer, exposing him not only to poverty but to sexually transmitted infections. Despite the scourge of HIV/AIDS, young girls and ladies have surrendered themselves to the pitfalls of sex work and have accepted that whatever befalls them is part and parcel of leading such a life. Modern prostitutes have become a threat to their clients as they have transformed into real robbers capable of killing for money.

To minimize the risk of theft, farmers should consider use of plastic money as a security measure and efficient way of conducting transactions. They should make use of grocery, furniture and hardware shops that have Point of Sales (POS) to avoid risks that are associated with moving around with large sums of money.

The opening of the tobacco floors will boost the country's foreign exchange earnings and this is expected to go a long way in improving the liquidity challenges in the market.

Tobacco farmers who delivered their crop last season received a 5% export incentive from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). This was aimed at motivating farmers to increase the crop's output as well as promote financial inclusion as the country's over dependence on the crop's earnings became more apparent.

TIMB has advised tobacco farmers with outstanding 5% export incentive payments to approach their respective banks or any of the TIMB offices if the incentive has not been deposited into their accounts. A small number of farmers who sold their tobacco in the 2016 marketing season have not yet received their export incentive due to banking details and other logistical challenges.