More than 15,000 first-time tobacco farmers have registered to grow the crop next season, creating an unprecedented demand for seed, the Zimbabwe Herald reported.

Almost one tonne of seed has been sold, Tobacco Research Board General Manager Dehlia Garwe told the newspaper. Five grammes of seed are needed for one hectare of seed bed, she said.
Supplies of faster growing KRK66 seed have been exhausted, the newspaper reported.
Sales volume this year currently at 156.2 million kg has exceeded last year’s volume of 144.5 million kg. The target is 170 million kg. This year’s crop has earned USD 577 million (EUR 445 million). Average price was USD 3.70 per kg, according to Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board data cited by the Herald.