Economy: Zimbabwe Nets USD95 Million from Tobacco Exports

Source from:  Afriquenligne (fr)  06/11/2012

Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe earned US$95 million from tobacco exports in the first half of the year, an industry representative group said on Saturday. In a statement, the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board said the bulk of the crop was exported to China, with South Africa in second place. It said as of 1 June, 2012, the country had exported a total of 23.2 million kilogrammes of tobacco, mainly to Asian and European countries. Zimbabwe's tobacco is one of the finest in the world and it is highly sought after by buyers from around the world. But production in recent years has slumped after the government took over farms from white farmers, who dominated tobacco farming, to resettle landless blacks. This year the country expects to export 150 million kilogrammes of the crop, down from peak production of over 200 million kilogrammes by white farmers. The marketing agency said about 20 countries imported tobacco from Zimbabwe in the first six months of the year. Tobacco is one of the country's main exports.Enditem