Tobacco seed sales up, but yield expected to fall

Tobacco seed sales have increased from 328.25 kgs to 335.58 kgs but the tobacco crop for next year is expected to drop from over 80 million kgs to 50 to 60 million kgs.

According to the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association large scale farmers bought 145.3 kgs, 20 percent more than last year while small-scale farmers bought 190.28 kgs, 30 percent higher than last year.

Large-scale farmers are expected to plant about 20 000, down 20 percent from last year while small-scale farmers will probably plant only 16 000 hectares.

Production from large-scale farmers is expected to be between 40 and 42 million kgs while that from small-scale farmers will be between 14 and 16 million kgs.

The ZTA says though they purchased more seed, small-scale farmers are likely to be affected by lack of chemicals, fetilisers, tillage and insufficient easy term finance.

The ZTA also says only 3.52 million kgs of tobacco were exported in September earning the country US$9.74 million. So far 74.1 million kgs have been exported this year earning US$222.5 million.

Stocks have risen to a new record high of 111.9 million kgs of which 38.1 million is uncommitted. Only 50.2 million kgs were in stock at the same time last year.

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