Marketing season is off to a slow start with flue-cured volume down 21 per cent through the first twelve days and prices running well below last year, the Zimbabwe Herald said.

Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) data show 7.3 million kg of flue-cured sold versus 9.3 million kg in the same time period last year, the newspaper said. The average price at USD 2.23 (EUR ) per kg was more than 60 cents below the 12-day average of USD 2.85 in 2014.
Heavy rains hurt quality, with some tobacco sold for as low as USD 0.60 per kg, the Herald said. This year the country expects to sell 190 million kg of tobacco, less than the 216 million kg sold last year.