Tobacco exports in Zimbabwe have gone up by 240 per cent in January 2024 compared to the same period last year, reports The Herald.

While tobacco worth USD 80.9 million was exported in January 2023, this year USD 274.7 million worth of the crop was shipped from Zimbabwe to the world.
Last year proved to be a record-breaking season for the country with the tobacco crop exporting 233 million kgs of the golden leaf worth over USD 1.2 billion. The majority of the Zimbabwean leaf is shipped to China and according to the latest figures from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board’s (TIMB) weekly report, the trend continues into this year with 30.2 million kg of the 37.8 million exported so far going to China at an average price of USD 8,24 per kg and a total price of USD 248.8  million.
African countries imported the second largest amount at 3.2 million kg worth USD 9.3 million at an average price of USD 2.89 per kg, while EU countries imported 1.3 million kg of tobacco from Zimbabwe valued at USD 2.6 million at an average price of USD 2.09 a kg, reports The Herald.
For the new season, so far, 113,101 hectares have been planted under tobacco in the 2023/2024 summer cropping season which is slightly lower than the 117,645 ha during the same period the previous season. This is due to the late start to the planting season that was delayed due to a late start of the rain season.
“A total of 114,994 growers have registered so far in preparation for the current season. This compares to 147,978 growers who had registered during the same period last year. A total of 91 per cent of the registered growers are contracted,” said TIMB in its report.