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Tobacco farmers have planted a total of 97,982 hectares, enough to produce 200 million kilogrammes, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has said. TIMB chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri told New Ziana that if the country continues to receive good rains, the 170 million kilogrammes set by government will be surpassed.
“We hope to produce 170 million kilogrammes of tobacco set by government. So far 97,982 hectares enough to produce almost 200 million kilogrammes,” he said.
In 2014, tobacco production is projected at 170 million kilogrammes a 2,6 percent increase from the 2013 output.
The anticipated growth is mainly on account of increased planted area of about 90,000 ha from the 88,600 ha.
Tobacco output increased by 15 percent from the 2012 production level of 144,500 tonnes, to about 166,600 tonnes in 2013.
Dr Matibiri said delayed rains had pushed planting dates, and that might affect tobacco output.
“We still want to see how the season turns out in the end but if it continues to rain as is the case right now we will even surpass the 170 million kilogrammes target,” he said.
Dr Matibiri said farmers are currently weeding dry land tobacco while others were applying fertilizers.
About 91 280 farmers have registered to grow flue- cured tobacco in the 2013/14 summer cropping season, up from the 70 904 registered in the 2012/13 season.
Tobacco seed sales also increased from 803,000 grammes last year to 1,024,000 grammes this year.
The seed is expected to cover close to 170,600 hectares.
In terms of financing, production will be underpinned by farmers’ own resources, contract farming and bank funding arrangements.
The main supporting factors were the increased area planted and the number of growers.
A high number of growers are leaving other crops like cotton and maize for tobacco which they consider to have higher returns and is also marketed orderly.
As a result, TIMB had by the close of the 2012/13 marketing season sold 166, 5 million kilograms of tobacco at an average price of US$3, 70 per kilogramme, realising US$616,1 million in sales.
Tobacco is one of Zimbabwe’s major agricultural exports, accounting for 10, 7 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
Major export destination for Zimbabwean tobacco include China, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Indonesia, the United Emirates, Mauritius and Russia. – New Ziana.
Online Reporter