NEW: Tobacco seed sales exceed 1000kg

The Sunday Mail

Online Reporter

TOBACCO seed sales have exceeded 1 000 kilogrammes, which are enough to cover more than 200 000 hectares, statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show.

Tobacco planting ended on Monday.

This year, farmers were angling to surpass the national target of putting 148 500 hectares under the cash crop, as the country progressively moves towards the target of producing 300 million kgs in the 2023/24 summer cropping season.

TIMB spokesperson Mrs Chelesani Moyo-Tsarwe said reaping and curing were currently in full swing for the irrigated crop, while the larger hectarage of the dryland crop is in different vegetative stages following good rains that have been experienced countrywide.

“Farmers have purchased 1 004 kg that can plant 200 817 ha of leaf tobacco,” said Mrs Moyo-Tsarwe.

Data collection is still ongoing to ascertain the actual overall hectarage the crop.

In the 2023 selling season, the country achieved a record output of 296,1 million kg worth US$896 million.