The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has been granted control of a fund used to create new woodlands after Treasury repeatedly failed to release money for the programme, NewsDay reported.

Growers have paid a 1.5 per cent levy on revenue from their tobacco to fund the afforestation programme since the tax was re-introduced in 2015, however Treasury has yet to disburse the funds, the newspaper said. The programme to be administered by TIMB disburses millions of dollars to plant new stands of trees NewsDay said. Afforestation and reforestation programmes counter damage to the ecology caused by using firewood to cure tobacco.