Zimbabwean Leaf Production Down Again

Source from:  tr.itsmyiq.com Jan 18, 2008 01/21/2008

The Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA) expects the country to produce less than 70 million kg of tobacco this year, reports The Financial Gazette. Last year's harvest was 73 million kg, generating some US$170 million in export earnings. Production has been stunted by input shortages and a shift by some farmers to less capital-intensive crops. In addition, power outages have affected tobacco curing operations. ZTA president Andrew Ferreira said the irrigated tobacco crop had also been affected by last year's water shortages while the current wet season would affect average yields for the dry land tobacco crop. At its peak in 2000, Zimbabwe harvested 237 million kg of the golden leaf, raking in US$400 million. The drastic production plunge is attributed to the chaotic seizure of white-owned farms by the government ostensibly for redistribution to landless blacks. Enditem