. . . as golden leaf exports top 22m kg

ZIMBABWE has exported 22,51 million kilogrammes of tobacco this year, realising US$ 111,81 million; 302 more than the US$ 27,79 million earned in the same period last year, official statistics show.

Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s second largest foreign currency earner after gold. China and South Africa have been the biggest buyers of Zimbabwe’s golden leaf.

Other major buyers of the flue- cured tobacco from Zimbabwe included during the period under review the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Belgium.

In its latest weekly bulletin, the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board ( TIMB) said the bulk of tobacco exports went to the Far East. The region bought 13,59 million kg of Zimbabwe’s tobacco valued at US$ 87,68 million.

The Middle East bought tobacco from Zimbabwe amounting 2,99 million kg worth US$ 7,26 million. The European Union accounted for 2,74 million kg of tobacco from the Southern African nation valued at US$ 7,67 million.

Zimbabwe’s tobacco crop is mainly produced under contract where buyers provide the farmers with the inputs. While the country is the largest producer of the crop in Africa, a meagre least 1,5 percent of the crop is processed locally with the rest exported in raw form.

Analysts say exporting raw agricultural products negatively impacts the socio- economic progress of the country. Jobs are exported while a lot of potential revenue is lost to nations that innovate and value add the crop.

At its peak, Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector contributed over 20 percent to the gross domestic product.