Zimbabwe has earned $470 million from the sale of 161 million kilogrammes of tobacco since the 2017 selling season opened on March 15 this year, statistics that the industry regulator released show.

According to the figures that the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board released on day 63 of sales, the golden leaf is being sold at an average price of $2,92 per kg. During the comparable period last year, about 157 million kg of tobacco worth $461 million had been sold at an average price of $2,94 per kg.

TIMB public relations and communications manager Isheunesu Moyo said a consultative meeting of stakeholders would be held this week to come up with the date when sales could close this year. “Deliveries have gone down because we have passed the peak of the season. The consultative process for closing date and mop up sales will determine the close of the season,” he said.