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Oliver Kazunga Business Reporter
TOBACCO farmers have started curing their crop ahead of the marketing season that begins next month.
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has announced that this year’s selling season starts on February 19.
The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (ZCFU) president Wonder Chabikwa said farmers were busy reaping and curing the crop.
“The farmers, especially those with the first irrigated crop that was planted in September, are busy reaping and curing the crop. We have quite a number of the crop ready for the February 19 auction floors’ opening,” he said.
Chabikwa said farmers had increased the hectarage under tobacco as stakeholders from the sector were targeting to increase output to 200 million kilogrammes.
In the previous tobacco selling season, the targeted output was 170 million kg but 166 million kg was produced.
“Our members have this cropping season increased the hectarage put under tobacco and we are targeting to deliver about 100 million kg up from 75 million kg that we delivered in the previous selling season,” said Chabikwa.
“Our members have increased tobacco hectarage based on the favourable prices the crop fetched during the last marketing season. The country is bound to increase tobacco output also based on the fact that the farmers have acquired experience, the art and skill required in growing the crop.”
The tobacco sector has become one of the country’s major exports accounting for 10.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product in 2012.
As of November 16, last year, 129, 8 million kilogrammes were exported generating $718.6 million.
Latest figures from TIMB show that more than 85,000 farmers have so far registered to grow tobacco during the 2013/14 season compared to 65,256 growers registered during the same period last year. Of the registered farmers, 25,819 are new growers.
Online Reporter