As the end of marketing season for tobacco draws closer, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) urges farmers to visit auction floors more frequently, reports News Day.

Although no official closing date has yet been announced, the TIMB has opened up the auction floors for three days a week encouraging farmers to bring their crops to the auction floors, reports News Day.
“All growers are encouraged to speed up grading and deliveries to the auction floors. With immediate effect, licensed floors will open for three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday until Friday August 28, 2020. Thereafter auction floor sales will be done as advised by the auction floors once they have booked and received sizeable number of bales to constitute a sale,” TIMB said in statement.
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tobacco marketing season already started late on 29 April with restrictions to the auction floors which are usually open during five working days and many farmers being encouraged to sell via virtual channels.
According to News Day, the latest figures on day 73 of the sale show that 169,2 million kg of tobacco have been delivered compared to 214,5 million kg at the same point last year. The value is actually slightly higher at USD 420 million compared to USD 414,9 million in 2019.