There are welcome signs that Zimbabwe's tobacco production is starting to recover, says Graeme Pattinson, general manager of Aqua Shipping in Zimbabwe which is the representative office of Aquarius Shipping International. He is one of a team of former tobacco merchants who have joined forces to become one of the biggest shippers of tobacco out of Zimbabwe. “The season started a month early this year – which has not happened for years. There are signs that production will hit 80 million kgs this season,” he says. While well under the peak 200 million kgs a year mark, small-scale contract farmers are returning to the market with the support of the industry, he says. Aquarius has operations in South Africa (Johannesburg and Durban), Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, as well as offices in London and Antwerp. The nature of the product and the market demand the services of a specialist agency, he believes. The company handles the full distribution/supply chain from the processing factory in Zimbabwe to delivery to the manufacturers globally. Aquarius controls the storage of the leaf in bonded warehouses in Durban , Johannesburg, Antwerp and Beira until it is required by the respective manufacturers who will call for the cargo by way of a shipping instruction. In addition to tobacco ASI has branched out and is now handling various other commodities such as copper, cotton and fertiliser.
