Tobacco Industry Marketing Board

The Tobacco Industry Marketing Board(TIMB) was created in 1936 through the Tobacco Marketing and Levy Act. In 1994 the board was reconstituted to encompass all types of tobacco (Virginia, Burley, Oriental and Dark-Air Cured). The Tobacco Marketing and Levy (Amendment) Act of 1997 saw the Tobacco Marketing Board being renamed to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.

Contact

429 Gleneagles Road, Southerton, Harare.
Lat/Long: 17° 87478000, 31° 00202500 Tel: 0867 7004624-6
Cell: 0772 145166-9
Email: info@timb.co.zw
Website: www.timb.co.zw

Function

to control and regulate the marketing of tobacco in Zimbabwe;
to promote, project and maintain the sale of tobacco;
to collate statistics relating to the provision, marketing, manufacture and consumption of tobacco;
to distribute market studies and information relating to the marketing, manufacture and consumption of tobacco;
to advise the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development on all matters relating to the marketing of tobacco; and
to do all such things which the Act or any other enactment requires the Board to do.

Services

administration and control of the tobacco delivery system.
arbitration and sales supervision at auction floors in order to maintain orderly marketing.
classification of tobacco from which statistical information is derived and reports published.
collating and distributing information on production, consumption, manufacture and export tobacco.
conducting crop assessment surveys to determine crop yield potential and quality composition of the crop in advance of the selling season.

Events

In 2008, it was reported that about 70 percent of Zimbabwe's tobacco may be sold on contract direct to merchants next year, with farmers avoiding the traditional Harare-based auction houses, the government's Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board said. ``That situation may help raise production because farmers growing on contract generally receive assistance in sourcing inputs from the merchants, Andrew Matibiri, chief executive of the board, said in a telephone interview today from the capital, Harare. ``There is a shortage of inputs, particularly fertilizer. <ref name="Kubatana / Bloomberg"> [1], Zimbabwe tobacco growers may shun auctions next season, Published: 20 August 2008, Retrieved: 26 August 2019

This seems to be a continuing problem. Growing allegations of well-knit syndicates fronted by fly-by-night “merchants” — who seemingly disguise themselves as saviours of farmers whose bales would have been suspiciously rejected or ridiculously discounted at auction floors, only for them to round-trip the same bales at the same auction floors for relatively higher prices — are now threatening the integrity of the local tobacco marketing system. Farmers are worried that wheeler dealers who are allegedly conniving with staff at the auction floors to rig prices are benefiting from the fruits of their hard work. Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) director Mr Paul Zakaria implored authorities to investigate the suspected cartels.<ref name="Zimbabwe Situation"> [2], Glitter of golden leaf eludes farmers, Published: 28 April 2019, Retrieved: 26 August 2019

Board

In March 2019, the TIMB management was ordered by the parliament’s lands and agriculture committee to submit financial statements amid claims of corruption against the Monica Chinamasa chaired board. TIMB chief executive, Andrew Matibiri to submit the entity’s financial statements dating back to 2015 The TIMB board has also been in office since 2009 and was supposed to be serving a three year term. . <ref name=" Monica Chinamasa TIMB board in corruption storm"> [3], New Zimbabwe, Published: 13 March 2019, Retrieved: 26 August 2019

The new board, from July 2019:
Chairman - Mr. Patrick Devenish
Vice Chairman - Mrs Nomusa Dube
Mr Rob Webb
Lt Genl (rtd) Dr Engelbert A Rugeje
Mr Bernard Mache
Mr Phibart Mambiri
Mrs Marjorie Mnyonga
Dr Andrew Matibiri