TIMB rebrands to promote sustainable tobacco production

TIMB recently rebranded to reimagine, reinvent and rethink the tobacco value chain

to ensure sustainable tobacco production in Zimbabwe.

Sustainable tobacco production is the efficient production of quality tobacco, under

conditions that limit negative impact on the environment. This also entails best

agricultural practices that improve the socio-economic conditions of tobacco growers

and communities in tobacco producing areas.

The persistence of deforestation as well as child and forced labour in tobacco

production is unacceptable. The need to curb these negative practices renewed TIMB’s

commitment to drive action to eliminate all negative practices in tobacco production.

This commitment to solving environmental, social and economic issues in the

production and marketing of tobacco is embodied in the Board’s new vision –

Towards Sustainable Tobacco Production, enhanced marketing systems, and

improved livelihoods in Zimbabwe by 2025.

It is also personified in the Board’s new tagline, For Livelihoods. For Sustainability.

The tagline is a strong stance by all tobacco value chain players through the regulator

to promote sustainable practices and operations for improved social and economic

wellbeing of tobacco growers and their families.

Sustainable tobacco production is an industry-wide initiative developed through the

Sustainable Tobacco Program (STP), an international initiative by tobacco merchants

with other industry players to bring together best practices from across the industry

and drive continuous improvement. It helps to drive standards in agricultural

practices, environmental management, key social and human rights areas.

TIMB is also increasingly creating awareness on sustainability topics through

empowerment-based on-site trainings of farmers and farmworkers. These trainings

are aimed at enhancing the capabilities of farmers and farmworkers to produce good

quality tobacco that is economically viable with reduced negative impact on the

environment.

Tobacco growers are continuously encouraged to run their farming operations as

proper businesses. Each grower should follow proper business practices were their

ledger includes costs for labour and sustainable curing fuels. This dissuades tobacco

growers from cutting down indigenous trees as well as employing child and forced

labour in the fields.

Every tobacco grower is also encouraged to establish a woodlot on their land, of at

least 0.3 hectares of wood per every hectare of tobacco grown. This is because it takes

more than fifteen years for an indigenous Musasa tree to reach reasonable maturity

yet it only takes seven years for some eucalyptus tree varieties to reach the same stage. In partnership with the Sustainable Afforestation Association (SAA) TIMB is also

working to establish eucalyptus plantations. To-date over 20,000ha of plantations

have been established. Several other afforestation programs are ongoing so that in due

time these woodlots are used to cure tobacco preserving the national forests and the

environment. In working towards curbing deforestation, tobacco contractors have

also been mandated to give growers coal and wood from sustainable woodlots as

curing fuels.

It is the role of all stakeholders in the tobacco industry to promote sustainability as it

will sufficiently improve workplace safety, health conditions, environmental

conservation, and income for farm workers, livelihoods and eventually support the

national economy for positive growth.