Zim exports US$95,2m tobacco

Source from:  New Ziana.  05/13/2004

Zimbabwe has exported close to 30 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth US$95,2 million in the first four months of this year, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board said on Tuesday. Figures released by TIMB show that a total of 29 224 930 kg of flue-cured and burley tobacco were exported to different markets during the period under review. The largest quantity of 10 057 239 kg of virginia tobacco, was exported in February when the price, in United Sates dollar terms, was also high at US$3,92 per kg. [img border=0 hspace="4" vspace="4" align="left" src=http://www.tobaccochina.com/english/picture/images.jpg] The lowest quantity of the crop was exported last month when only 3,3 million kg was shipped outside the country while the lowest price was in March when it sunk to US$1,61 cents per kg. The largest quantity of burley tobacco — 219 850 kg — was also exported in February while the highest price in January was at US$3,45 per kg. Meanwhile, TIMB has issued export permits for a total of 31 201,7 tonnes of tobacco during the past four months, a figure which is 38,5 percent lower than the 50 707,5 tonnes given export permits over the same period last year. An official from TIMB attributed the low export permits to the general decline in tobacco production. "The main reason for the reduced export permits is the general low tobacco production," he said. Zimbabwe exports tobacco to the European Union, Asia, United States of America, Africa and China. Tobacco production has declined from a peak of 237 million kg in 2000 to a projected 60 million kg this year owing to reduced commercial plantings, drought and lack of inputs. Tobacco, however, remains the country’s largest foreign currency earner, contributing about 35 percent to total foreign currency earnings. Last year, the country raked in US$183 million from the sale of 81 million kg of tobacco. Enditem