A November 2023 country-wide tobacco nursery assessment survey by the Tobacco Commission (TC) has revealed that there is an increase in seedbed area of the country`s major cash crop as compared to last year.

Conducted by industry players led by the regulator, TC Chief Executive Officer Joseph Chidanti-Malunga said the survey has revealed a 22.5 percent and 37 percent increase in seedbed area and planned hectarage, respectively.

Chidanti-Malunga has since described the survey results as a positive development which has been conducted to assess growers’ preparedness for tobacco production this farming season.

He said: “We are happy that farmers plan to produce more this year because that is what the country needs.

We are just worried about the apparent delays in the rains but we look forward to favourable weather conditions to help our farmers translate the planned hectarage into actual production.”

In the 2022/2023 farming season, 120 million kilogrammes of tobacco valued at $282.6 million were sold at an average price of $2.35.

In the previous farming season, 85 million kilogrammes valued at $182 million was sold, fetching an average price of $2.14 per kilogramme.

Of the three types of tobacco grown in the country, burley has the biggest planned hectarage registering a 49 percent increase from last year’s actual.

The survey report attributes the increased seedbed area and planned hectarage to increase in quota for growers, farmers’ plans to cushion themselves against germination failure, increased sponsorship by tobacco buying companies and motivation triggered by better prices fetched in the 2022-2023 tobacco marketing season.

The report further notes that sampled nurseries looked good, the seedlings were healthy and most of the growers were following recommended agricultural practices.