Zimbabwe nets USD95 million from tobacco exports
Harare, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe earned US$95 million from tobacco exports in the
first half of the year, an industry representative group said on Saturday.
In a statement, the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board said the bulk of the
crop was exported to China, with South Africa in second place.
It said as of 1 June, 2012, the country had exported a total of 23.2 million
kilogrammes of tobacco, mainly to Asian and European countries.
Zimbabwe’s tobacco is one of the finest in the world and it is highly sought
after by buyers from around the world.
But production in recent years has slumped after the government took over
farms from white farmers, who dominated tobacco farming, to resettle
landless blacks.
This year the country expects to export 150 million kilogrammes of the crop,
down from peak production of over 200 million kilogrammes by white farmers.
The marketing agency said about 20 countries imported tobacco from Zimbabwe
in the first six months of the year. Tobacco is one of the country’s main
exports.
Pana 10/06/2012