Nearly 196 million kilograms of tobacco at an average price of USD 2.95 per kg (EUR 2.65 per kg) have been sold this year compared with about 213 million kg at USD 3.17 per kg in 2014, the Zimbabwe Herald reported.

Low prices have characterized the marketing season, the newspaper said in a story citing data from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. Last year farmers produced 216 million kg of leaf, the most in 15 years, the newspaper said on its website. Tobacco accounts for 10.7 per cent of gross domestic product, the Herald said.