Their other eye is on Mr Impey. Without interrupting his banter he seeks a flicker of recognition from the buyers. The deal is done. The opening of the auctions should be one of the highlights of the country's economic calender. But the marketing manager of the tobacco sales floor says she is depressed.
Tobacco is vital to the economy.
The industry is Zimbabwe's largest employer and provides its most important export, earning a third of its foreign currency. Yet the scene yesterday was pitiful. The volume of tobacco coming into the capital is a third down on last year and the price is down by a fifth. Political instability and a feeble economy has kept many farmers and buyers away. Many of those who should have been selling their wares yesterday have not been able to return to their farms to prepare for the auction since they were chased away by squatters.