HARARE, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe has so far earned 267.9 million U.S. dollars from the sale of at least 146 million kilograms of tobacco since the 2019 marketing season began seven weeks ago, according to figures from the industry regulator.
In a trading update on Tuesday, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board said the sales had declined by 14.7 percent from the same period last year while proceeds also dropped by 46 percent.
The update said that tobacco output, one of the country's major foreign currency earners, is expected to decline by as much as 15 percent owing to poor weather conditions under which the crop was grown.
Last year, the country produced an all-time high of 252 million kg of tobacco.
Zimbabwe this year experienced drought conditions that were characterized by late rains and prolonged dry spells.
This year, the number of registered growers has increased by 27 percent to 183, 154, with more than 44, 000 being first time growers.
