HARARE – Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector is on track to hit its ambitious 2025 production target of 280 million kilograms, with farmers and officials upbeat about firming prices and growing deliveries in the early weeks of the marketing season.
By Tina Musonza | Harare
As of mid-April, 85 million kilograms of tobacco valued at US$292 million had already been sold, with the highest recorded price at US$6.30/kg and an average price of US$3.43/kg, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB).
“While the season started slowly, we are witnessing a rise in tobacco deliveries and we are confident we will reach our target of 280 million kg this season,” said Emmanuel Matsvaire, TIMB acting CEO.
The 2025 season also marks progress in efforts to decentralise tobacco production. Notably, for the second consecutive year, farmers in Marula, Mangwe District, Matabeleland South are cultivating tobacco—traditionally grown in Manicaland and Mashonaland provinces.
Under a contract farming scheme with Atlas Agri, 122 small-scale farmers are growing 84 hectares of Natural Cured Virginia (NCV) tobacco. TIMB has approved a local sales floor in Marula to service the region during the marketing season.
“This is an important step in expanding the crop beyond its traditional strongholds,” Matsvaire said.
Ongoing Side Marketing Woes
Despite the progress, the industry continues to grapple with side marketing, a practice that undermines structured contract systems and hurts both buyers and growers.
“Some growers sell their tobacco to middlemen, while others use other farmers’ grower numbers to sell contracted crop at auction floors,” Matsvaire noted. “This behaviour undermines market structure, affects debt recovery and exposes farmers to low returns and exploitation.”
TIMB has previously worked with law enforcement and industry stakeholders to crack down on such activities, but the problem persists.
Domestic Processing Gains Momentum
Zimbabwe remains a major tobacco producer, but historically exports most of its leaf in semi-processed form, losing out on potential billions in export revenue. To reverse that trend, TIMB and its partners are pushing for greater value addition in-country.
“The goal is to increase domestic processing from 2% of total output to 30% by 2025. So far, we’ve reached 10.15%,” Matsvaire revealed.
Currently, ten cigarette manufacturing companies with a combined annual capacity of 4.4 billion sticks are operating locally. Efforts are ongoing to attract further investment into cigarette and cut-rag production to deepen the value chain and maximise economic returns.
Looking Ahead
Zimbabwe is the largest tobacco producer in Africa and the sixth-largest globally. Tobacco remains a key foreign currency earner for the country, contributing over US$1 billion annually. As the government and private sector seek to diversify exports and formalise production, the 2025 season could be pivotal for the country’s agricultural resurgence.
