Zimbabwe's tobacco deliveries have declined 28 per cent this season compared with the same period last year according to the government's Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.

Farmers in Zimbabwe have delivered 30.2 million kg of tobacco to auction, or directly to merchants since sales began on 5 May. This compares to 42.2 million kg for the same period in 2007.
Farmers earned ZWD 96.1 million (EUR 1,800) after the average price of a kilogramme of flue-cured tobacco rose 35 per cent to ZWD 3.11, the board said. The country expects to produce 75 million kg of tobacco this year, which is up from last year's 74 million kg.
Zimbabwe, which until 2000 was the world's second-biggest exporter of flue-cured tobacco after Brazil, has slipped to sixth place behind Brazil, India, the US, the European Union and Argentina. (pi)