Zimbabwe Earns US$182 Million From Tobacco Export

Source from:  angolapress-angop.ao Harare, Zimbabwe, 12/08 12/12/2006

Zimbabwe earned US$182 million from about 60.5 million kilogrammes it exported in the last 11 months, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), said Thursday. It said the bulk of the commodity - 59.9 kilogrammes - was exported mainly to Asia and Europe markets. In addition, the Board said 593,862 kilogrammes of burley tobacco, which is less grown in Zimbabwe, was also exported for US$1.8 million. It expects overall earnings from the commodity, once Zimbabwe`s main export before the government`s controversial land policy, to reach US$200 million in 2006, up from US$160 million last year. Economists attribute the improved export revenue to a firm price, which averaged US$3 per kilogramme, up from about US$2.5 a kilogramme last year. Enditem