Zimbabwe is likely to achieve a tobacco harvest roughly similar to last year’s, despite the negative impact of the drought that has affected some crops, reports allafrica.

This comes as the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) said it was working on final logistical preparations for the start of the marketing season.
According to industry experts, tobacco output is expected to remain largely the same as last year or decline marginally due to erratic rains this season. Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA) manager Casper Mlambo said it had been a difficult season due to a long dry spell and erratic rains. "Output could be the same as last season or down by 20 percent. Dry start to the season, plant death, late plantings as well unattractive crop development and later too much rain when it finally came and now dry again, affected leaf development. Nevertheless, there is the irrigated crop that managed to be established on time. It developed well," Mlambo said.
Last year, Zimbabwe produced 202.2 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth USD 567 million, but projections indicate almost a similar harvest or slight decline, the report said.
Tobacco is a strategically important crop for Zimbabwe as it is the country's biggest single non-mineral export earner, trailing only gold and platinum. According to the TIMB, Zimbabwe is among the top six tobacco producers in the world, accounting for seven per cent of the global supply and boasts of being the fifth-largest tobacco exporter in the world.