Fewer tobacco growers register in Zimbabwe

Tobacco production in Zimbabwe is likely to be scaled back during the 2015-16 season, according to a story in The Zimbabwe Daily citing Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) data.

TIMB figures indicate that 56,000 growers have registered to produce tobacco during 2015-16, down from 72,000 by the same time last year.

Tobacco Research Board (TRB) figures, meanwhile, indicate that seed sales too are down, to 685,000 g, though there was no indication as to how much seed had been sold by this time last year.

TRB general manager Dr. Dahlia Garwe said the irrigated tobacco had already been planted and the dry land crop was “being established”.

Garwe said that farmers were concerned about the rainfall patterns and the predicted El Nino effect. They were being cautious in the way they were approaching the season.

She said that while 685,000 g translated to about 314,000 ha, not all the seeds bought were grown. It was likely that perhaps 65 to 80 percent of that amount would be planted.

“Certainly, from what we have, activity in the 2015 to 2016 season is lower,” she added.