Tobacco farmers accuse merchants of reducing buying prices.

The Tobacco Board of Zambia TBZ has denied reports that tobacco buying prices have been reduced on the floors.
TBZ Regional Manager, Herold Siandula has told Breeze News that the quality of tobacco currently being sold by farmers is the one that has reduced.
Mr. Siandula explained that normally as the marketing season draws towards the end, good quality tobacco tends to run out.
He says that all the tobacco buying companies have stuck to the price list, which they started with when the marketing exercise opened.
And Mr. Sinadula says that tobacco merchants in Eastern Province have so far bought about 4.6 million kilogrammes of the crop from farmers.
Meanwhile TBZ is making frantic efforts to find market for produce grown by independent farmers.
Mr. Siandula says that the board is currently engaging various companies so that they can buy the produce.