Zimbabwe's Sales Season Hotting Up

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 03/12/2010

Zimbabwe's Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has increased the number of selling days for tobacco following an improvement in deliveries to the country's two sales floors, according to a report in The Herald. Sales will now be conducted on Wednesdays, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The additional day was allotted after the Zimbabwe Tobacco Industry Auction Centre (Zitac) exceeded the maximum 3,800 bales that can be sold per day and made representation to the TIMB. The TIMB chief executive, Dr. Andrew Matibiri, said the board would continue to monitor the situation. "It appears that the decision to open the floors early was a wise one because farmers are responding well," he added. Meanwhile, Zitac spokesperson, Kudzai Hamadziripi, said deliveries had improved dramatically and that her company was expecting a good season. The increase in deliveries has been accompanied by a firming of prices, with flue-cured selling for US$3.46-4.90 per kg, up from about US$2.91per kg last season. Zimbabwe is expected to sell about 77 million kg of flue-cured this season, up from 58.6 million kg last year. Enditem