adminFarming Reporter
TOBACCO sold through the auction system and under contract at various auction floors in the country since the 2015 season started has reached $575 million. The value, however, was subdued by 14 percent if compared to $673 million worth of flue-cured tobacco that had gone under the hammer in the same period in 2014.
Statics released on Tuesday by the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) indicated that TSF had purchased 22 916, 350 kilogrammes of tobacco valued at $56 720, 851, followed by Boka Tobacco Floors, which had bought 14 203, 350kg valued at $33 643, 007.
Platinum Tobacco Floors trailed the two with 9 413, 386kg worth $22 794, 114.
The three auction floors account for 46 533, 092kg worth $113 157, 971.
A total of 148 412, 845kg of flue-cured tobacco worth $461 384, 222 was sold under contract since the start of the 2015 selling season in March.
TIMB said a total of 194 945, 845kg worth $574 542, 193 had been sold at day 105, volume wise was 8, 08 percent less than the 212 076, 377kg ($672, 781, 082) that had been sold by the same time last year.
TSF was buying at an average prize of $2, 48, Boka at $2, 37 and PTF at $2, 42.
The average prize for contract was $3, 11.
The national average prize for the 2015 season stood at $2,95.
Same time last year, the average price was $3,17, which leaves a disparity of 7,10 percent.
Contractors offered the highest price of $6,25 for the best leaf, while the three major auction floors maintained a price ceiling of $4,99.
The lowest prize was $0,10.
The number of bales sold under auction stood at 639,294 while 117, 829 bales were rejected.
1 719, 344 bales were sold under contract while 86, 185 were rejected.
All in all, 2 358, 638 bales were sold in since the inception of the 2015 season, while 204, 014 bales were rejected.
The 2014/ 15 season registered at least 106 000 growers, of which, 26 816 are new growers.
In 1013/ 14 season TIMB put the growers statistics at 88 444.
Of these more than 1 000 are new growers from Masvingo, Midlands and Matabeleland North provinces, areas which were previously non-traditional tobacco growing areas.
Farmers have been complaining of low prices offered especially at the auction floors, while merchants have been complaining of low quality crop. However, it has been noted that some farmers lacked knowledge on production and presentation of the crop and were not up to date with market requirements.
Agriculture experts believe the heavy rains the country received in January and February greatly compromised both the quality and quantity of tobacco.
At the peak of output, Zimbabwe produced 236 million kilogrammes of tobacco which was produced mainly by small-scale farmers.
Prior to the land reform programme, the country grew most of its tobacco on large commercial farms.
Zimbabwe traditionally competes with countries including Brazil and the United States as a key source of the top-quality variety of the crop known as flue-cured tobacco.
Online Reporter