Zimbabwean farmers sold 61,6 million kg of tobacco at an average price of USD 2,81 a kg for the first 50 days of the selling season, reports Newsday quoting the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board.

Sales of flue-cured totalled USD 173 million (EUR 120.6 million) to date. This compared to 51.4 million kg of flue-cured sold during the same period of last year’s selling season at about USD 160 million. The average price last year was USD 3,10 per kg.
Observers expect output to increase to between 170 and 200 million kg because of the increase in hectarage this year.
Newsday also reports that spokesperson of Hubei provincial government, Li Chunming said that Chinese investor plan to increase the hectarage of their contract farming project to 600 hectares. (pi)