Zimbabwe Earns US$107 Million From Tobacco Sales

Source from:  Harare, Zimbabwe, 09/07 09/08/2006

A tobacco marketing agency in Zimbabwe said Wednesday the country earned a total of US$107 million from exports of the crop this year. Tobacco auctions ended last week, and the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) said a total of 53.4 million kilogrammes of the crop had been sold. However, the agency said auction floors would be kept open until next week to allow farmers to complete their sales. Transport difficulties, and expectation of better prices, had prompted some farmers to withhold their crop from the market, which opened in April. "We had to extend the selling season because deliveries are still strong and by law farmers are not allowed to carry over stocks to the next season," a TIMB official said. Tobacco is one of Zimbabwe`s main export crops, although in recent years production has declined substantially. Enditem