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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
MANICALAND Province has recorded an 8 percent increase in the number of farmers who have registered to grow tobacco in the 2018-19 cropping season despite a 1 percent drop in new registrations.

According to recent statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), 11 945 farmers had registered to grow the green leaf as at August 8 this year, up from 11 111 farmers during the same period last year.

The number of new growers has slightly gone down from 3 301 last year to 3 257. Of the total number of new growers, at least 2 390 are communal farmers while 753 are A1 farmers. There were approximately 28 A2 farmers and 86 small-scale commercial farmers.

Nationally, the number of new growers was 2 percent lower at 20 858 farmers this year from 21 331 last year.

However, a total of 92 908 growers have so far registered with the tobacco regulator, 23 percent up from 75 681 farmers last season.

Owing to the favourable prices prevailing in the industry, the number of communal farmers taking up tobacco farming has been growing since 2009 when Government legalised the use of multiple foreign currencies.

Although the official tobacco marketing season closed on July 27, some farmers are still delivering their crop to the floors.

As at August 8, at least 31 881 363kg of contract tobacco had been delivered from Manicaland farmers, a 43 percent increase from the 22 338 840kg delivered during the same period last season.

On the auction floors, 5 484 790kg had been delivered. This was 25 percent up from 4 396 067kg delivered to auction floors during the same period last year.

Tobacco has earned a strategic position in the Zimbabwean economy because of its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product and foreign currency earnings.