Tobacco the crop of choice in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe had sold 107 million kg of flue-cured tobacco for a total of $400 million by the end of the 55th day of sales, according to a story in the Zimbabwe Herald.

By the same stage of last season’s sales, 84 million kg of flue-cured had been sold for  $315 million.

The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board was said to be confident that this season’s 170 million kg target would be surpassed.

And the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union vice president, Johnson Mapira, was quoted as saying that tobacco production was expected to continue to increase because of favourable farm prices. Tobacco was the only crop where farmers were guaranteed good prices and instant cash.

Mapira said the good payment method used in respect of tobacco sales meant that tobacco farmers did not have problems paying their workers. And he said that farmers were now using some of the proceeds from tobacco to support other projects.