The number of tobacco hectares planted in Zimbabwe has dropped in comparison to the same time period last year, reported the Chronicle.

The planting of tobacco began on the 1 September and will continue until the 31 December. However, so far this year, 35,998 hectares of tobacco have been planted, compared to last year’s 42,010 hectares being planted during the same period.
The report stated that, according to statistics released by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), 23,265 hectares of tobacco are rain-fed, whilst the remainder are irrigated. This years delayed rainfall season may have contributed to the reduced level of tobacco planted. TIMB’s chief executive officer, Andrew Matibiri, stated, “The hectarage is low due to the late start of the rain season, while the irrigated tobacco is also lower because of the shortages of water needed to irrigate the crop as some water bodies had even dried up.” This year 12,733 hectares of irrigated tobacco have been planted, compared to 16,345 hectares last year.
The number of farmers registered to grow tobacco has also decreased, with 140,247 farmers having registered to grow tobacco for the 2019/20 season, compared to 165,130 having registered by this time last year for the previous season.
According to the report, tobacco is Zimbabwe’s second highest foreign currency earner, as the bulk of the crop is exported in its raw form, generating more than USD 1 billion per year.