HARARE, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's 2025 tobacco marketing season kicked off on Wednesday, with stakeholders upbeat about increased output this year due to favorable rainfall.

Patrick Devenish, chairman of the industry regulator Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, expressed strong optimism about a rebound in the new season after a decline last year caused by an El Nino-induced drought.

"We are expecting a bigger crop, much bigger than last year, over 280 million kg, and I think it will sell well," Devenish told Xinhua after the opening ceremony of the tobacco marketing season held at the Tobacco Sales Floor in Harare, the southern African country's capital.

Zimbabwe's tobacco harvest typically runs from January to July. Last year, farmers produced more than 240 million kg, generating over 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in export earnings.

As the largest consumer of Zimbabwe's tobacco, China has a growing demand for Zimbabwe's tobacco leaf, which is expected to boost the sector this year, according to Devenish.

"Chinese are our biggest and best customer. They take our best tobacco, and they pay the top prices. We expect that to continue. So, we really value them as a customer," he said.

Tobacco, primarily cultivated by small-scale farmers, is Zimbabwe's leading agricultural export and one of the country's top foreign currency earners. Enditem

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