Zimbabwe’s tobacco farmers plead for a better deal

Tobacco is a bright spot in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, but wait times for crop payments and exchange-rate roulette can wreak havoc on farmers’ profits.

Harare, Zimbabwe – Bornface Batwero sits languidly in the driver’s seat of his lorry outside the Tobacco Sales Floor – an auction venue in the capital Harare where farmers gather from around Zimbabwe to sell their crops. It’s mid-morning on a Monday. Batwero told Al Jazeera he was still waiting to receive payment for a consignment of tobacco he had sold on Friday, when he arrived from Centenary, a rural area in Mashonaland province, some 144km (89 miles) northwest of Harare. “I am waiting for my payment later today,” said the 37-year-old tobacco farmer. “I don’t know how much they are going to pay me.”