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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 27225, member: 2262"] Tobacco sales kicked off yesterday with packed auction houses across Harare. Everyone expects prices to keep rising throughout the season. Farmers brought their golden leaves, hoping for good deals at both auction spots and contract locations. Buyers showed up ready to spend on quality tobacco. The first tobacco bundle at the Tobacco Sales Floor sold for $4.65 per kilogram. This price topped all other locations but fell slightly under last year's opening-day price of $4.92. Farmers, buyers, sellers, and truck drivers all shared positive feelings about making good money this season. The country should benefit greatly from the expected big harvest after all the rain we had. Tobacco ranks as Zimbabwe's third biggest export money-maker, bringing over $1.3 billion last year. More than 150,000 families make their living growing tobacco, showing how important this crop remains for rural areas. The plant helps drive Zimbabwe's economy forward, with tobacco processing increasing from 3 percent to around 7 percent recently because companies built new facilities. Mr. Eldridge Masiiwa grows tobacco near Macheke and plans to wait until next week before selling his crop. He wants to watch market trends first. Based on the leaf quality he sees, current prices look fair. This year produced better quality leaves than last year, making him believe farmers should earn more money. He warned other farmers about people trying to rob or cheat them. Ms. Alice Chakabva from Marondera described selling season as her favorite time as a farmer. Agriculture Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka stressed that everyone involved must find new ways to grow more tobacco. Last year farmers produced a record 296 million kilograms and exported $1.24 billion worth, proving Zimbabwe can stay a major supplier worldwide. George Seremwe heads the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association and feels confident about this year. He expects higher prices despite starting lower than last year. Farmers think they'll harvest more tobacco this season. Seremwe hopes the Reserve Bank keeps the ZiG currency strong enough for farmers to benefit from that portion of their payments. Patrick Devenish from the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board explained new systems protecting farmers through fingerprint identification. This connects each grower's number to actual fingerprints. The system makes sure only real tobacco farmers can sell at markets. Devenish encouraged all growers to register their fingerprints at licensed selling points. Contract floors should handle about 95 percent of all tobacco this year. Officials have licensed 43 contractors and 32 Class A buyers for the upcoming marketing season, giving farmers plenty of selling options. [/QUOTE]

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