Zimbabwean leaf tobacco sales totaled $49.9 million after the first nine days of trading, compared to $24.5 million during the same period in 2020, the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) reported.
Leaf growers delivered 19.97 million kg during the first nine days, up 83 percent over the 10.8 million kg from like 2020. This season’s crop garnered an average price of $2.50 per kg to date, up from $2.27 per kg at this point last season.
However, farmers’ unions are displeased with current leaf prices, which dropped during the second week of the marketing season.
“The first week of this tobacco selling season saw the firming of prices above $5 per kg; some tobacco was sold at $6.30 per kg, which was paid by contractors,” said Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union President Shadreck Makombe.
RBZ Relaxes Payment Modalities For Tobacco Growers
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Tobacco farmers cry foul - Zimbabwe Situation
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Tobacco output to rise 8%
January 17, 2021 in Business
BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
ZIMBABWE’s tobacco output will rise by 8% to 200 million kilogrammes (kg) during the 2020/2021 marketing season, riding on good rains, experts said last week.
Output was estimated at 184 million kg last season, according to Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) statistics.
However, this was a drop from 258 million kg the previous season.
The Meteorological Services Department has predicted normal to above normal rainfall across Zimbabwe throughout the 2020/2021 cropping season, except for region 2wo.
“The expected tobacco output is between 170 million kg and 200 million kg,” Tobacco Association of Zimbabwe president George Seremwe told Standard Business.
TIMB allays fears of price manipulation
Martin Kadzere
The Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB), an industry regulator, has allayed fears of price manipulation by merchants during the 2021 marketing season owing to the potential collapse of the auction system.
TIMB chief executive officer Dr Andrew Matibiri told The Sunday Mail Business that the auction system would be maintained this season despite expected low volumes of the free funded crop, as many farmers would likely be de-registered from contract schemes after some of the merchants failed to provide prescribed minimum funding.
The marketing board is currently validating the value of inputs and quantities given to farmers this season to ascertain if contractors complied with required minimum support levels.