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Precious Manomano Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe has so far raked in US$570 million from the sale of 204 million kgs of tobacco, a great improvement compared to last year’s US$452 million from 180 million kgs, statistics released by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) have revealed.
Selling of tobacco at the contract floors for the 2021 season was extended since the closure of auction floors on July 14 due to high volumes of tobacco that is still being delivered.
An estimated 96 percent of the tobacco delivered at both floors came from the contract crop, with just four percent being sold on the auction floors.
To date, 86 913 bales of tobacco have been rejected, with 26 882 rejected at the auction floors, while 60 031 bales were rejected at the contract floors.
This implies that rejection rates were lower at auction floors than contract floors.
Tobacco is normally rejected at the point of sale because of bales being overweight, underweight, bad handling resulting in excessive or inadequate moisture and moulds, dirt or farmers rejecting the price offered.
This year’s tobacco selling season progressed satisfactorily despite the effects of Covid-19, with most farmers generally happy with the payment modalities.
Tobacco is ranked as one of the most economically important non-food crops in Zimbabwe, earning millions of dollars annually.
The growing of the crop contributes significantly to improving the livelihoods of many people, especially those in rural areas, as it now involves thousands of farmers and employs many people.
Online Reporter