New tobacco grading system on the cards

Published: 12 hours ago

A key committee within Zimbabwe's tobacco industry has proposed a revamp of the country's tobacco grading system aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and fairness. The initiative seeks to simplify the current classification, which features over 1,300 distinct grades, by creating a streamlined framework that supports contract sales pricing, enhances statistical analysis, and maintains the high standards associated with Zimbabwean tobacco.

The proposal emerged from a meeting hosted last Friday by the Inter-Continental Leaf Tobacco Company, which brought together representatives from major stakeholders, including Macfarlane Mashonaland Tobacco Company, Premium Leaf Zimbabwe, Atlas Tobacco, Zimbabwe Leaf Tobacco, and the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB). The meeting was chaired by Cyprian Foya of Inter-Continental Leaf Tobacco.

Sources said the committee recommended removing first and second quality grades that carry extra factors such as V, K, D, G, Q, and Y. They also proposed eliminating the 'S' colour and 'H' grades, excluding lemon colour from the Tips group, and removing the "E" colour from the leaf group to start from the cutter group instead. In addition, the committee suggested reintroducing a "J" extra factor to serve as an intermediate grade between standard and slatey tobacco and introducing a new colour, "M," between the existing "O" and "R" classifications. These recommendations will be forwarded to TIMB for formal adoption.

The current grading system, adopted from the United States Department of Agriculture in 1946, has primarily served statistical purposes but is now widely considered cumbersome. The proposed changes come as Zimbabwe's tobacco sector undergoes a transformation focused on innovation, sustainability, and empowerment, reinforcing the country's multi-million-dollar agriculture value chain.

In a related effort to curb malpractices, TIMB has introduced a biometric system aimed at eliminating side marketing, which has been linked to illicit financial flows in the sector. TIMB chief executive officer Emmanuel Matsvaire confirmed that the system has made positive strides in reducing illegal activity and ensuring greater accountability.

The modernisation of the grading system, combined with enhanced monitoring, is seen as a key step toward improving efficiency and integrity within Zimbabwe's tobacco industry.
- Newsday

Tags: Tobacco,