eBusiness Weekly
Elita chikwati
HARARE – South Africa is currently topping the list of Zimbabwean tobacco buyers, latest statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) show. China normally occupies the top position on the country’s tobacco importers list.
According to the TIMB statistics, as at January 11, South Africa had exported 1, 4 million kilogrammes of semi-processed flue-cured tobacco worth $3, 1 million at an average price of $2, 25 per kg.
The exported volumes have declined from the 2, 7 million kg worth $8, 5 million that were exported to different destinations during the same period last year. Over the same period 10 countries had imported tobacco from Zimbabwe while last year the number was 13.
TIMB corporate communications manager Mr Isheunesu Moyo yesterday said tobacco exports were low because some countries had not started importing from Zimbabwe this year.
“Shipping of tobacco to other major export destinations such as China has not started. China ordinarily takes up above 40 percent of the Zimbabwean tobacco.
“The exports done so far are largely orders from last year. Export for 2018 has not commenced to a large extent,” he said.
Meanwhile, preparations for the 2018 tobacco marketing season are underway with the decentralisation of auction floors already underway.
Decentralisation of auction floors is meant to decongest the existing auction floors in Harare and reduce Decentralisation is meant to reduce transport costs for farmer when ferrying tobacco to the market and also reducing congestion at the floors in Harare.
TIMB has confirmed the developments and have carried out the first inspection of the possible market places. Mr Moyo said several tobacco companies and all tobacco auction floors and various contractors had expressed interest in investing and setting up buying facilities outside Harare.
He said the decentralised floors have an advantage as they cater for fewer farmers thus allowing faster service compared to the Harare floors.
“The programme will help to decongest the existing facilities while farmers will incur less costs when delivering their produce.
“The process of decentralising underway. We have done preliminary inspection of possible sites in Mvurwi, Karoi and Rusape to see if they can meet our requirements. We have indicated areas of improvement and early January we will carry out second round inspections,” he said.
This year, Zimbabwe produced about 180 million kg of tobacco of which 20 percent was sold through the auction system.
Meanwhile, the statistics show that 112 546 farmers have registered for tobacco for the 2017/18 season. This is an increase of 40 percent from the 80 327 who had registered during the same period last year.
